Sens, Medieval town center in Yonne, France
Sens is a town in the Yonne department of Burgundy, located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Paris along the Yonne River. The center gathers around the cathedral and spreads over several gentle hills down to the riverbank.
The settlement was known as Agedincum before Roman times and grew into a key Roman administrative center from the 1st century BC onward. During the Middle Ages, the town became the seat of an archbishopric whose influence extended as far as Germany.
The town takes its name from the Senones, a Celtic tribe who settled here before Roman times. In the old center, timber-framed houses from the 15th and 16th centuries alternate with stone façades from later periods.
A visit combines well with a walk through the lanes around the cathedral, where narrow passages and small squares alternate. The old town is compact and can be explored on foot, while parking is available on the edges of the center.
The first Gothic pointed arches in France were tested here from 1135 onward, while other major building sites still followed the Romanesque style. The cathedral treasury preserves liturgical vestments said to have been worn by Thomas Becket during his stay in the town in the 12th century.
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