Sens, Saint-Étienne
SENS

Building Data for Sens, Saint-Étienne

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  • Type: Cathedral
  • Affiliation:
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  • Region: Bourgogne
  • Department: Yonne
  • Coords: 48.198, 3.2841
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  • Surveyed: 1972-74, 1980-83, 2003, 2015

Map

Virtual Tour

Studies These draft studies have been written as if all carvings were by an individual whereas they can equally be analysed as template modes employed by a number of carvers. The more personal approach was necessitated by the complexity of the data. The drafts will be reconsidered after I have added the rib vault material to the database.
X

These draft studies have been written as if all carvings were by an individual whereas they can equally be analysed as template modes employed by a number of carvers. The more personal approach was necessitated by the complexity of the data. The drafts will be reconsidered after I have added the rib vault material to the database.

Timeline and building units for Sens, Saint-Étienne A 'building unit' is an arbitrary unit of work based on bulk billing techniques used by quantity surveyors. The unit is small enough to provide realistic figures in the small churches without becoming too huge in the large. Six units would pay for one small vaulted bay in an aisle about 3 metres square, or a small first-floor gallery. Such a bay would consist of an external wall with a small window, half of two columns about 3 meters tall, the floor and footings under them and the vault and roof overhead.
X

A 'building unit' is an arbitrary unit of work based on bulk billing techniques used by quantity surveyors. The unit is small enough to provide realistic figures in the small churches without becoming too huge in the large. Six units would pay for one small vaulted bay in an aisle about 3 metres square, or a small first-floor gallery. Such a bay would consist of an external wall with a small window, half of two columns about 3 meters tall, the floor and footings under them and the vault and roof overhead.

info

gray gray 1100
1130		 225
1140		 750
1150		 1385
1160		 880
1170		 660
1180		 250
1190		 145
1200		 gray
1050 1130s 1140s 1150s 1160s 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s 1250

Phases for Sens, Saint-Étienne The building sequence is based on my on-site analysis of the construction history, using the techniques developed on the cathedral of Chartres called toichology, and described in a number of publications. The analysis of some of the smaller churches are more approximate than I would like, and need further analysis. <p>I have used 'phase' rather than 'campaign' to to identify a contiguous zone with similar elements. A campaign would be defined by recognisable breaks and construction joints in the fabric: there may be a number of phases within a campaign. One benefit is that separate programs by subcontractors, such as carvers, may be isolated, which is particularly useful in complex sections, such as portals. <p>Every phase has been assigned to a decade, so there may be more than one phase in a decade. <p>While this is certainly imperfect, it will allow us to explore all the data, including costs, across time. This is an on-going process, so as the data continues to be analyzed, the chronology and costing analysis will be further refined, and the synopsis updated. <p>Clicking on any of the decade graphics will display all buildings that had work being done during that decade.
X

The building sequence is based on my on-site analysis of the construction history, using the techniques developed on the cathedral of Chartres called toichology, and described in a number of publications. The analysis of some of the smaller churches are more approximate than I would like, and need further analysis.

I have used 'phase' rather than 'campaign' to to identify a contiguous zone with similar elements. A campaign would be defined by recognisable breaks and construction joints in the fabric: there may be a number of phases within a campaign. One benefit is that separate programs by subcontractors, such as carvers, may be isolated, which is particularly useful in complex sections, such as portals.

Every phase has been assigned to a decade, so there may be more than one phase in a decade.

While this is certainly imperfect, it will allow us to explore all the data, including costs, across time. This is an on-going process, so as the data continues to be analyzed, the chronology and costing analysis will be further refined, and the synopsis updated.

Clicking on any of the decade graphics will display all buildings that had work being done during that decade.

Short version of history

1130

Phase 1 - 1130 - church (b) - 450 Units


The size and consistency shows that all bases for the walls and piers were laid down at the one time, from east to penultimate pier 13 in the west; this included the lateral chapels; afterwards average rate of construction across the site seems to have been in the order of 5 or so courses per year.
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1130

Phase 2 - 1130 [1134] - choir (d) - 200 Units


Choir and north chapel dado capitals; the building of the transept has eliminated the evidence for how far this stage of the work was continued to the west; and very wide windows around the ambulatory.
1130

Phase 3 - 1130 [1136] - choir piers (a) - 200 Units


Ambulatory pier capitals from the fifth pier from the crossing around the ambulatory; in the fifth pier on the north only those capitals that would support doubleau and arcade arches were carved, those to the west were in the next tranche; this included formeret and doubleau arches, and the heads of the windows; designed for groin vaults, for the lowest stone for the groin still exists to the side of the doubleau capital alongside the axial chapel.
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1130

Phase 4 - 1130 [1137] - choir walls (a) - 250 Units


Ambulatory walls, capitals and north chapel, over very wide windows; on the north the wall was extended to include the north chapel and presumably also in the south; there are some 40 courses in these walls from plinth to capitals that on average would take 5-8 years to complete.
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1140

Phase 5 - 1140 - stalls - 225 Units


Some of the capitals and arches would have continued into the 40s. A temporary roof may have been erected at this level to cover the eastern choir; the wooden stalls were built under this and on his death Bishop Henry was interred in the choir in 1144.
1150

Phase 6 - 1150 [1155] - w nave (d) - 250 Units


Nave dado probably in more than one campaign
1150

Phase 7 - 1150 [1158] - choir (a) 1-4 - 250 Units


The four choir piers from today's crossing to the east; from the style of the capitals continued into the nave to piers 6; once the aisle vaults were completed this huge undertaking would be sufficient to support all future stages in the gallery and clerestory.
1150

Phase 8 - 1150 [1158] - nave (a) 1-6 - 250 Units


From the style of the capitals the same crew working in the choir continued into the nave to pier 6, leaving only the piers under the towers to be finished later; ten piers (plus one in the centre transept).
1160

Phase 9 - 1160 - east (av) - 150 Units


The continuation of corbels to support the aisle ribs from the ambulatory to the doubleau of the 6th pier west of the crossing shows the extent of the work when it was decided to use rib vaults; that the smaller corbels of this phase sit over the capitals of both Phases 1 and 2 of the southern choir aisle capitals shows how far the works had proceeded before this decision was made; the corbels in the choir are smaller than those in the nave and have an additional larger course between it and the rib.
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1160

Phase 10 - 1160 - west (av)


The corbels in the nave to the doubleau of the 6th pier; these sit over the capitals of Phase 2; in the west side of the 6th aisle pier the style of the formeret capital and the corbels show this to have been part of the later works in the west; whatever had been constructed on the south wall was replaced after the collapse.
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1160

Phase 11 - 1160 - choir (gb) - 250 Units


Walling over arcade arches and choir gallery walkway
1160

Phase 12 - 1160 [1160] - choir (g,c) 1-7 - 135 Units


Choir gallery capitals, arches and wall over.
1160

Phase 13 - 1160 [1162] - choir (c) - 250 Units


Choir clerestory wall, windows and capitals
1160

Phase 14 - 1160 [1165] - flyers 1-7 - 250 Units


Install the first flyers 1-7 and roof in place immediately afterwards.
1160

Phase 15 - 1160 [1166] - choir (cw) - 200 Units


Choir wall above flyers 1-7 for domical vault form; the respond for the rondpoint vault shows the vault was intended to be much lower against the wall.
1160

Phase 16 - 1160 [1167] - choir (rc) - 150 Units


Roof cornice with details like those in Canterbury by William of Sens; the roof over the as-yet-unvaulted would have been erected at this time. Some decades later when they came to insert the high vaults over the choir all the clerestory windows around the cathedral were enlarged with bar tracery.
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1170

Phase 17 - 1170 [1171] - nave 6-8 (a) - 400 Units


Nave arcade capitals 6-8.
1170

Phase 18 - 1170 [1172] - nave 3-7 (g,c) - 120 Units


Mid-nave gallery and some under the external flyers (as illustrated); these capitals also have connections to William's work at Canterbury, especially the forms of the imposts.
1170

Phase 19 - 1170 - w portals (b) - 120 Units


Lowest courses of west portals laid with bases to western nave bay,
1170

Phase 20 - 1170 [1175] - nave (a) 13-14


Western nave aisle capitals
1170

Phase 21 - 1170 [1176] - nave (v) 11-14 - 120 Units


Nave aisle vaults 11-14
1170

Phase 22 - 1170 [1178] - mid-nave (c+) - 120 Units


Nave-mid clerestory flyers
1180

Phase 23 - 1180 [1187] - north portal - 120 Units


Probably after the fire of 1184; as portal joints mismatched probably carved in shed before it was needed.
1180

Phase 24 - 1180 - mid portal - 120 Units


Middle portal, with details that are very different to the north suggesting (as with Paris, Notre-Dame) that they were carved by different teams and possibly at different times.
1180

Phase 25 - 1180 - e nave (v) - 420 Units


Eastern nave vaults and flyers 8-12
1190

Phase 26 - 1190 - w nave (g) - 250 Units


West aisle bays to gallery
1200

Phase 27 - 1200 - w nave (c) - 100 Units


West clerestory,
1200

Phase 28 - 1200 [1205] - tower rooms - 45 Units


Tower rooms in the one campaign; the chapel of St Michael was dedicated before 1210.