Sens - Cathedral of St Etienne

The construction of the Cathedral of St-Etienne in Sens, one of the largest and finest Gothic buildings in France, was begun in 1140 and completed about 1500. Most of the rich sculptural decoration of the west front was destroyed during the French Revolution: all that survives is the figure of St Stephen on the central doorway, the representation of his legend in the tympanum (from about 1200), the legend of John the Baptist on the left-hand doorway (also around 1200), the Doorway of the Virgin on the right (early 14th century) and a Flamboyant doorway in the north transept. The beauty of the spacious three-aisled interior with its bold vaulting is enhanced by the fine stained glass (12th-17th century). The cathedral treasury is one of the richest in France (ecclesiastical vestments, tapestries, etc.