The west façade was planned to have three portals, but only the center one was
decorated with figure sculp-ture. The design and composition of this portal are among the
major innovations of the period, as is the choice of subject matter. Here, for perhaps the
first time, the theme of the tympanum is given over to the Coronation of Mary as Queen
of Heaven. Already enthroned, Mary turns toward Christ, who was shown reaching out to
crown her—his hands and the crown are missing. The lintel below, which has been
dropped into the zone of the jambs, is divided into two scenes in parallel compositions.
On the left, the mourning Apostles surround Mary’s deathbed while angels convey her
soul to Heaven; on the right, an ecstatic group of angels raise the body of Mary so that it
might join her soul. The four ranks of archivolts show her earthly genealogy, the Tree of
Jesse, together with those sibyls and Prophets who predicted the Virgin Birth. The eight
statue columns are the Christophores, those Old Testament prefigurations of salvation,
arranged in pairs of historical sequences. On the right, the sequence runs from the outside
to the door: David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Simeon; on the left, it runs out from the door:
Abraham, Moses, Aaron, and John the Baptist. The cycle of time is completed by the
Labors of the Months flanked by mythical beasts.
The parish church of Saint-Pierre, converted to a covered market in the 19th century,
has recently been excavated and restored with a semblance of its Flamboyant elegance
intact. Saint-Aignan, until recently a movie theater, is also under excavation and
restoration. The colle gial church of Saint-Frambourg was closed after the Revolution and
converted to other use. Begun in 1177 and completed by the end of the century, this
remarkably homogeneous single-nave building has also been carefully restored and now
serves as a concert hall. Excavations in the course of the restorations of all three churches
have revealed the plans of earlier structures.
Senlis preserves three other significant buildings associated with its medieval past: the
bishop’s palace with its chapel; the Hotel Vermandois, a 12th-century seigneurial
residence built by Raoul de Vermandois, first cousin and seneschal to Louis VI; and the
royal palace at Senlis, a favorite residence of Louis VI and Louis VII, both of whom
made additions to it. The ruins of the palace complex include a two-storied great hall and
royal chapel; the Hotel Vermandois has vestiges of its great hall intact (and under
restoration). In addition, Senlis has a number of 15th- and 16th-century residences of
nobility and wealthy citizens.
William W.Clark
[See also: GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE]
Aubert, Marcel. Senlis. Paris: Laurens, 1933.
Bianchina, Nicole. “Saint-Frambourg de Senlis: étude historique et archéologique.” Revue
archéologique de l’Oise 20(1980): 5–16; 22(1981):13–31.
Crépin-Leblond, Thierry, and Dominique Vermand. “L’ancien hotel de Vermandois à Senlis.”
Mémoires de la Société d’Histoire et d’Archéologie de Senlis 1986–89 (1991):123–56.
Fontaine, Anne, and Jacques Fontaine. Senlis. La Pierre-quivire: Zodiaque, 1985.
Vermand, Dominique. “La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Senlis au XIIe siècle: étude historique et
monumentale.” La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Senlis au XIIe siècle. Senlis: Société d’Histoire et
d’Archéologie de Senlis, 1987, pp. 3–107.
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 1648