The present cathedral, underway by 1153, owes its inspiration to the chevet of Saint-
Denis. Comparison of the details of capitals and other architectural elements indicates
that the west façade, also based on Saint-Denis, was begun at the same time as the east
end, which was completed by 1167. The whole building was dedicated in 1195. A
transept was inserted in the 13th century, as were Senlis (Oise), Notre-Dame, nave
elevations, 12th century and present. After Aubert and Vermand. lateral chapels. A major
fire in 1504 resulted in a dramatic increase in the height of the clerestory and the addition
of new vaults.
The original plan called for a deep chevet of five bays under two sexpartite vaults; the
last straight bay is vaulted with the hemicycle. The main vessel is flanked by aisles and
ambulatory with five radiating chapels. The plan of the east end of Senlis is irregular, the
result of the builder having to insert the chevet in the space close to the Gallo-Roman city
walls, which included a chapel used by the canons.
The 12th-century design of Senlis cathedral is one of the first to include vaulted
galleries in the Gothic style, a feature also found at nearby Noyon. The third story of the
elevation was a single low window, the height of which can be reconstructed from the
level of the 12th-century vault between the west towers. Because the original plan was
based on compound piers, the plan of the rebuilt vaults repeated the original, although at
a higher level. The smallest of the major 12th-century Gothic buildings, Senlis is marked
by an elegance in execution that befits its importance in a major royal city.
Senlis, west portal, Coronation of the
Virgin. Photograph courtesy of
Whitney S.Stoddard.
The Encyclopedia 1647