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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre de Senlis, located in the Oise department in the Hauts-de-France region, is a building dating back to the Middle Ages. Built on the site of a Merovingian cemetery, it was originally built as a pre-Roman church in the 11th century, before being profoundly remodelled between the 12th and 16th centuries. Its history is marked by successive construction campaigns, reflecting architectural evolutions, from early novels to the climax of the flamboyant Gothic style.

Between 1240 and 1250, the transept and the choir were reconstructed in a classical Gothic style, while the nave, the lower side and the bell towers were largely redesigned or added in the 15th and 16th centuries. The western façade, completed in 1516, is a masterpiece of the flamboyant, adorned with three openworked tympanum gates and richly carved staircase turrets. The north bell tower, of Romanesque origin, was enhanced and surmounted by a stone arrow in the 15th century, while a second bell tower, of Renaissance style, was erected in the south between 1570 and 1592.

Desacralized during the French Revolution, the church was sold as a national good in 1792 and transformed into a factory, then a stable for a cavalry squadron in the 19th century. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1887, it served as a covered market before being restored and converted into a multipurpose municipal hall from the 1970s. Archaeological excavations carried out between 1977 and 1978 revealed remains of the Preroman church and the Merovingian cemetery, enriching the understanding of its history.

The interior of the church, although partially unfinished (the nave has never been vaulted), preserves remarkable elements such as the vaults of the choir and the lower side, the carved capitals, and the partial stained glass windows. The restoration campaigns carried out between 2013 and 2017, at a cost of €3.5 million, allowed to stabilize the structure, restore facades and stained glass windows, and adapt the building to modern accessibility and security standards.

Today, the Saint Peter space, although rarely open to the public, hosts exhibitions and cultural events. Its architecture, combining Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles, makes it an exceptional witness to the evolution of construction techniques and artistic tastes over nearly six centuries. Its history also reflects the political and social upheavals of France, from the medieval period to the contemporary era.

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