Arrival of relics VIIIe–IXe siècles (≈ 950)
Relics of Saint Preigts brought by a monk.
XIIIe siècle
Authorized Jewish Cemetery
Authorized Jewish Cemetery XIIIe siècle (≈ 1350)
One of the two Jewish cemeteries in Sens.
1736
Reconstruction of the church
Reconstruction of the church 1736 (≈ 1736)
Current building built by parish priest Jolly.
1789–1799
Revolutionary period
Revolutionary period 1789–1799 (≈ 1794)
Statues destroyed, parish preserved.
16 novembre 1965
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 16 novembre 1965 (≈ 1965)
Protected facade and campanile.
2018–2019
Restoration
Restoration 2018–2019 (≈ 2019)
Conservation work carried out.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Main and Campanile facade (Cd. G 547): by order of 16 November 1965; Church (excluding classified parts) (Cd. G 547): registration by decree of 16 November 1965
Key figures
Saint Preigts (Saint Priest) - Holy patron
Church dedication, preserved relics.
Moine de Saint-Riquier - Relic carrier
Brought the relics during the invasions.
A. Jolly - Curé reconstructeur
Built the church in 1736.
Origin and history
The Saint-Preigts church, located in Sens in the department of Yonne, is a Catholic building dedicated to Saint Priest (or Projectus in Latin). Its origins date back to the Norman invasions, when a monk from the Abbey of Saint-Riquier brought the saint's relics. A first church was built near the Vanne River, in a neighbourhood then marked by gardens and canals, before being destroyed by flooding and fire.
The present church was rebuilt in 1736 by parish priest A. Jolly, with a vaulted nave in a cradle and a rotunda choir. The facade, adorned with statues of Saint Preigts and Saint John the Baptist, was partially destroyed during the Revolution, when the church was one of the four parishes preserved in Sens. Only an inner statue of Saint Preigts remains today.
Ranked a historic monument in 1965 for its facade and its campanile, the church houses remarkable furniture, including a Christ on the cross and a painting depicting Saint Ambrose stopping Emperor Theodosius. Restored between 2018 and 2019, it remains an architectural and spiritual testimony of the eighteenth century in Burgundy.
Its current location, at 49 rue du Général de Gaulle, is worth giving its name to a neighborhood of Sens. The adjacent cemetery, once authorized for the Jewish community, illustrates its historical role in local life. The building, owned by the commune, continues to mark the religious and heritage landscape of the region.
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