• Sens, France, offers Gothic splendor and historical significance beyond Paris.
• Sens Cathedral, dating to the early 12th century, exemplifies early Gothic architecture.
• The city features relics associated with Thomas Becket and a recently reopened museum.

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Most visitors to France never look beyond Paris. That is a mistake.

Sens, a city of about 27,000 souls located some 80 miles from Charles de Gaulle Airport, was once a major center of power and religious authority. That past is evident in its cathedral, one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture.

Sens Cathedral, formally known as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, dates to the early 12th century, when builders were beginning to move beyond the heavy mass and limited light of Romanesque architecture. The then-new Gothic pointed arch was not merely decorative; it was an engineering solution that transformed how large churches and cathedrals could be built.

What makes the cathedral especially compelling is not only its architectural importance but also its survival. The French Revolution proved catastrophic for many churches, whose interiors were stripped or repurposed. Sens escaped the worst of this destruction.

Among the survivals are four 12th-century stained-glass windows, an 18th-century choir screen, and the imposing marble mausoleum of Louis, the dauphin of France. Louis was the son of King Louis XV and the father of three future kings: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X. The dauphin died before he could ascend the throne.

The importance of Sens Cathedral extends beyond architecture and royal history. It occupies a notable place in Christian history through its association with Thomas Becket, the martyred archbishop of Canterbury, whose conflict with King Henry II ended in his murder in 1170 and his canonization soon after. During his exile from England, Becket found refuge in Sens.

Relics associated with Becket can be seen at the recently reopened Sens Museum, housed in the former archbishop’s palace. Among the objects on display is a nearly complete set of liturgical vestments connected to him.

The museum also preserves other relics that attest to the city’s former prominence in medieval religious life, including fragments traditionally identified as belonging to the true cross and the crown of thorns. In the medieval era, such objects were not curiosities but focal points of devotion that drew pilgrims from afar.

Beyond the cathedral, Sens reveals a different but equally instructive history.

The historic city center, once enclosed by walls, retains a significant number of half-timbered houses. Their exposed beams and irregular facades speak to centuries of incremental change rather than wholesale reconstruction. The buildings remain in everyday use, giving the center a distinct lived-in character rather than the feel of an area frequented only by tourists.

Sens also benefits from geography.

For those interested in all things wine, it's an excellent home base for exploring three of France’s top wine appellations. Chablis lies less than an hour away. To the west is Sancerre. Even the Champagne region can be reached comfortably within a day’s drive.

While wine production has existed around Sens since antiquity, it was wiped out in the late 19th century by the phylloxera parasite, which devastated vineyards. That history is now being revisited at Domaine des Senons. The family-owned winery has singlehandedly revived local viticulture here on the edge of Burgundy.

What Sens lacks in size, it makes up for in what it offers visitors. Those who make the effort to come here are rewarded with a pleasant surprise.

If you go

Getting here requires a car. I flew into Charles de Gaulle and picked up my rental from Enterprise, one of several agencies at the airport. The process was straightforward and no different from any airport car rental experience back home. Be sure to reserve a car with built-in GPS or bring a smartphone with a working mapping application.

A short drive from Sens is Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. The town retains two monumental medieval gates that are still used by modern traffic entering and leaving the center. The parish church, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, has a striking Renaissance facade. Inside is a sculptural depiction of the entombment of Christ attributed, I’m told, to sculptor Jean Goujon.

Farther afield, about 70 miles away, is the small village of Vezelay. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene, built in the 11th and 12th centuries, is one of France’s great Romanesque churches and has served for centuries as a major pilgrimage site and a starting point for the Way of St. James. It was also the setting for major historical events: the preaching of the Second Crusade in 1146 by Abbot (and later St.) Bernard of Clairvaux; a sermon by Becket in 1166; and the departure of King Richard the Lionheart and King Philip II of France for the Third Crusade in 1190. Relics associated with Mary Magdalene are preserved in the ancient crypt.

Sens Cathedral, Our Lady of the Assumption in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and the basilica in Vezelay are open daily with no admission charge. While access might be limited by religious services, getting inside generally isn’t an issue. Admission to the Sens Museum is also free.

I stayed at the Epona Hotel, a relatively new four-star property in the center of Sens. The rooms are comfortable and well-appointed. The hotel offers convenient on-site parking — a valuable amenity in historic city centers.

The Sens Tourist Office has extensive English-language planning resources available on its website. You can also book a guided tour through the office.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post

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