Cathédrale Saint-Etienne

Around 1130, at a time when Romanesque buildings were springing up everywhere, an innovative master builder created a large cathedral in Sens, with a simple and continuous volume, consisting of a central nave and two side aisles where a revolutionary concept of vaulting was used: the ribbed crossing. Between 1490 and 1517, the architect Martin Chambiges built a large transept in flamboyant Gothic style.
Sens Cathedral has preserved a series of stained glass windows that allow us to trace the evolution of stained glass from the 12th to the 19th century. It was at the rendezvous of History with the stay of Thomas Becket, the marriage of St. Louis and the burial of the Dauphin, father of Louis XVI.
To visit it
- Explanatory panels line the cathedral (in French, English, German),
- A wifi connection allows you to access audio comments for a free guided tour (in French, English and German),
- A tour brochure is available at the Tourist Office (French, English and German, price: 0.50 €),
- Audio-guided tours or on tablets, available for hire at the Tourist Office (French, English and German),
- In summer, organization of "classic" guided tours (in French) (duration: 1 hour 30 minutes), night tours and unusual tours (climb to the top of the south tower)
In summer, a free 20-minute sound and light show is projected onto the cathedral's façade on Friday and Saturday evenings from 10:30 pm.