Sens Cathedral

Sens Cathedral is one of the earliest of Gothic buildings, sometimes cited as the first completely Gothic cathedral. It is indeed old, as these things go, by a few decades, building having started c. 1140. Sens was an important place in the 12th century: its bishop ruled over those in Paris, and most of the other cities in the Ile de France. Interestingly, it's modest transept was added only in the 13th and 14th centuries.

West facade from the pretty city square

Not one of the great sculptural programs

Again, we had to wait, this time on baptism ceremonies... did they clear this with
Office of Tourism? But Vicki got lots of pix of cute babies in cute baptism outfits

Knave; at this point they were experimenting with alternating piers and double-
columns

Thus; a bit of the elevation too; aisle, tiny triforium/gallery, small clerestory

Harvest is underway big-time in France (except for grapes) and so here
apparently is an offering to Ceres or Demeter or the patron saint of harvests
or whatever

One of the later transept rose windows

With devil

Another Becket window; very popular with bishops as a
cautionary tale...

Beautiful old windows...Prodigal Son and Good Samaritan

Up close from an Old Testament window

Non-Gothic altar

Another beautiful rose window, the Celestial Concert

Detail

Transept view from altar

Important discovery department: according to the plan, the pier in the center
there should have been a double column...the opposite one is a double column...
did they forget, change their minds, run out of funds?! Need some more support
for the tower?

Troyes' Urban Church

The Urban church in Troyes is best known as an example of flamboyant Gothic; plus it took 800 years to build; lots of the flamboyants took centuries to build as people lost interest, plagues, wars, schisms, reformations, wars, etc., intervened. Pope Urban IV began it on the site of his dad's tattoo parlor, but the local nuns took issue, and the whole thing was tied up in legalities for centuries. Plus people, including us, lost interest. To his credit, Urban IV was supposedly the pope from whom Tannhauser begged mercy and who replied that his staff would sooner sprout leaves than such a s sinner would be forgiven. Guess what happened?

Normally we just barge right in unless they are having Sunday
brunch, but this time it was a funeral, so we decided to have
our own lunch and wait it out

Flamboyant, yes

Knave view; again, not a big place

Elevation: gone are the galleries, the triforia

Some nice windows

Thus

And more flamboyant; flamboyant is where
Gothic parodies itself

Troyes' St. Madeleine Church

In English it's Magdalen, in French, Madeleine. The church was begun in the 12th century, with the usual repeated remodeling. It is best known for its screen and its Renaissance windows, products of the Troyes school of painted glass. They are indeed impressive. Alas, the church is totally hemmed-in by neighboring buildings.

Nave view; again, not a big place; the great
screen right there

Thus

St. Augustine crushing the heretic serpent; notably, a
warrior hands him a sword; "Compel them to come in,"
said this very venal of saints

Triumph of the Cross, with St. Helen finding
the True Cross and her boy Constantine
getting baptized (lower row)

Life of the Madeleine

The Madeleine preaching (graphic novel approach, Vicki
says)

Far more candor than one is accustomed to in
these precincts (click to enlarge)

Best Tree of Jesse ever, so far; more like a
Forest of Jesse

Genesis...pretty much the whole thing

Troyes' St. John Of The Market Church

The St. Jean church is actually a bit newer than the cathedral, still 13th century, but made of poor stone and consequently not in great condition. But it is of interest, partly for its unusual shape, some of its interior appointments, and, mostly, its historical significance. The Treaty of Troyes was signed at the cathedral, but the wedding of Henry V of England, victor at Agincourt, and Catherine of Valois, daughter of the French king Charles VI, took place here in 1420. Read your Shakespeare. France would have passed to Henry and his heirs, good news for the Brits, but for Henry's sudden and unexpected death, and that Joan of Arc woman....

Interior view...not impressively Gothic

What you can't see is the weird, turning
shape...

But there is some nice glass, including this unusual Solomon
(note baby on table, about to be halved)

And another Holy Circumcision

And an impressive Roman-style Last Supper

And much work to be done to save this place

Troyes' Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul

It's a rayonnant vintage, 13th century, the next generation after the Chartres/Reims/Amiens/Bourges classics, with all the latest advances. We visited in both the morning and afternoon.

West facade; another one-tower cathedral, St. Peter's;
St. Paul's is still awaiting construction

Not a great deal of sculpture to admire...

Here, it's the size, the height, and especially the light, and the color...

We both exclaimed "Glazed triforium!"

Thus

Important moral lesson about too much wine

Beautiful, new colors; Troyes eventually became a center of
painted glass-making

View abaft

Above the choir

In the ambulatory

Great over-all light, even on a cloudy morning

The knock-out for us was this huge, pink-appearing, rose window in the south transept;
up close you could see it was not pink glass, but the juxtaposition of red and blue bits...
an Apocalypse window, judging from the number of elders...

Altar

Aisle view

Pier-hugger