Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Synodal Palace of Sens, located in the Yonne in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, was erected in the 13th century by Archbishop Gauthier Cornu (1222-1241). This monument, classified in 1862 and restored by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, is a state property. It is adjacent to St. Stephen's Cathedral and the ancient archiepiscopal palace, now transformed into a museum. Originally, its medieval façade was decorated with five statues, including those of Gauthier Cornu and Saint Louis.

The synodal room, approximately 500 m2 and 12 m high, was used to accommodate diocesan synods. At that time Sens occupied a prominent place in the Catholic hierarchy, surpassing even Paris. Among the classified objects exhibited, a painting by Bernard Gaillot (1824), The Susception of the Holy Crown of Thorns, restored in 2020, represents St.Louis and Robert of Artois welcomed by the Archbishop.

Today, the Synod Hall houses temporary exhibitions organized by the Museums of Sens. Since 2015, it has hosted works by contemporary artists such as Arnaud Cohen (2015) and Pierre Soulages (2016). This place thus combines medieval heritage and modern artistic creation, while remaining a testimony to the religious and architectural history of the region.

Future

Today it houses the temporary exhibitions of the Museums of Sens.

External links