Sens () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris.
Sens is a sub-prefecture and the second largest city of the department, the sixth largest in the region. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here. At the last census of 2021, the municipality had 27,034 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called les Senonese in French.
The city was rewarded with the distinction of Grand Prix et quatre fleurs in 2007 at Concours des villes et villages fleuris.[ Villes et Villages Fleuris]
Geography
Sens is located at the extreme north-west of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, on the border of three regions, namely the Île-de-France, the
Grand Est and the Centre-Val de Loire. Located on the course of the river Yonne in the valley of the same name, the city is bordered by the hills of Paron and Saint-Martin-du-Tertre to the west, extension of the plateau of Gâtinais which also extends to the
Loiret. To the east, it is bordered by the forest of
Othe which extends over the department of
Aube. To the north, the Yonne valley leads to the Brie in
Seine-et-Marne.
History
The city is said to have been one of the
oppidum of the
Senones, one of the oldest Celtic tribes living in Gaul. The Battle of the Allia was fought
between the
Senones – a
Gauls tribe led by Brennus, who had invaded
Northern Italy – and the
Roman Republic. It is mentioned as
Agedincum by
Julius Caesar[The manuscripts of the Gallic War also give varied readings of Agendicum and Agetincum (William Smith, ed. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography); the gilded statue of "Brennus" ("leader") surmounts the hôtel de ville.] several times in his
Commentarii de Bello Gallico. In 53 BC, during the invasion of Gaul, Caesar wintered six legions, at the place called « the camp of Caesar » south of the city.
[ Bulletin N°XIV, 1848 de la Société Archéologique de Sens]
The Roman city was built during the first century BC and surrounded by walls during the third (notable parts of the walls still remain, with alterations along the centuries). It still retains today the skeleton of its Roman street plan.
[Its Cardo (rue de la République) and Decumanus Maximus (Grande Rue) still meet at near right angles.] The site was referred to by Ammianus Marcellinus as
Senones (
oppidum Senonas), where the future emperor Julian faced an Alamannic siege for a few months, but it did not become an administrative center until after the
Tetrarchy, when it was the chief town of Lugdunensis Quarta.
During the Middle Ages its archbishops held the prestigious role of primate of Gaul and Germany. The bishop of Sens became an archbishop as early as the mid-5th century, but the cult of the traditional founders Savinian and Potentian, not mentioned by Gregory of Tours, did not appear until the 8th century, when they were added to the local recension of the Seventy Apostles.
Starting from 1135, the cathedral of Sens, dedicated to Saint Stephen, was rebuilt as one of the first Gothic cathedrals. There, in 1234, Louis IX of France celebrated his wedding to Marguerite of Provence. Sens witnessed the trial of Peter Abelard. Pope Alexander III sojourned for some time in the city, and Thomas Becket spent part of his exile between 1162 and 1165. The Archdiocese of Sens hosted a number of church councils and the first Archbishop of Uppsala was consecrated there. William of Sens was the principal architect of Canterbury Cathedral.
Sens experienced troublesome times during the Wars of Religion. In 1562, 100 of the town’s Huguenot population were killed in the Massacre of Sens.
The city declined after Paris was elevated to archdiocese in 1622. Since 2002, Sens remains an archbishopric (though the incumbent has resided in Auxerre since 1929?) but with no metropolitical function (no pallium or marriage appeals).
Despite the creation of new regions, Sens remains subject to the Paris cour d'appel.
Population
Main sights
-
Sens Cathedral, one of the first Gothic edifices in France
-
Archbishops' Palace
-
Church of St. Maurice
-
Church of St. Pierre le Rond
-
House of Abraham
-
Museum
-
Serres municipales de Sens, municipal
Notable people
-
Samo (ca.600–ca.658), Frankish merchant and later king ( rex) of the 7th century Slavic state known as Samo's Empire
-
Aprus of Sens, 7thC French priest and hermit.
-
Thomas Becket (ca.1119 – 1170), Archbishop of Canterbury, he took refuge in Sens in 1164, where Pope Alexander III was sheltered; venerated as a saint.
-
William of Sens (died 1180) 12thC French master mason and architect
-
Samson ben Abraham of Sens (ca.1150 – ca.1230) rabbi and notable Tosafist.
-
Joseph ben Nathan Official, 13thC French-Jewish controversialist, probably lived in Sens.
-
Jacques Almain (d. 1515), theologian at Collège de Navarre, defended conciliarism
-
Jacques-François Courtin (1672–1752) a French Dutch Golden Age painter
-
Victor Scipion Charles Auguste de La Garde de Chambonas (1750–1830), mayor of Sens, brigadier general and French foreign minister at the beginning of the French Revolution.
-
Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne (1769–1834) diplomat, close relationship with Napoleon Bonaparte.
-
Louis Jacques Thénard (1777–1857), French chemist, educated at the academy of Sens.
-
Édouard Charton (1807–1890), an eminent French literary figure.
-
Adolphe Vuitry (1813–1885) lawyer, economist and politician; governor of the Banque de France, 1863/1864
-
Charles Levert (1825–1899), French public servant and politician
-
Maurice Prou (1861–1930) archivist, paleographer, numismatist and historian.
-
Étienne Mimard (1862–1944), French Armourer
-
Augusta Hure (1870-1953) the first woman appointed as museum curator in France
-
Saturnin Fabre (1884–1961), French film actor.
Sport
-
Guy Chevalier (1910–1949) field hockey player, competed in the 1928, 1936 & 1948 Summer Olympics.
-
Bacary Sagna (born 1983), footballer with 439 club caps and 65 for France.
-
Florian Fritz (born 1984) former rugby union player with over 400 club caps and 34 for France.
-
Clément Chantôme (born 1987), footballer with about 300 club caps
-
Chris Malonga (born 1987), footballer with over 350 club caps and 26 for Congo
-
Orlann Ombissa-Dzangue (born 1991) sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.
-
Jean Ambrose (born 1993), footballer with about 70 club caps and 1 for Haiti
Twin towns
Climate
See also
-
Senones
-
St. Columba of Sens
-
Archdiocese of Sens
-
Communes of the Yonne department
-
St. Wulfram of Sens
Sources
External links
