Part 5

In 1504, lightning set fire to the cathedral, which went on burning for two days. Luckily the spire was saved. The reconstruction of all the higher parts and of the façades of the transept lasted until 1560 and completely transformed the appearance of the building.

During the Revolution it was used as a ballroom and afterwards as a store-house for fodder. In 1801 it became once more a place of worship.

It has been seen (_p. 46-47_) that the cathedral was not spared by the German shells on September 2, 1914, and that its vicar very nearly shared the mayor's tragic fate.

The opposite view is taken from the top of the steeple of St. Peter's Church.

In the foreground are seen the buildings of the old bishop's palace, standing on a Gallo-Roman site; one of the towers of this enclosure was utilised in their construction.

After 1790 Senlis was no longer a bishopric, and an archæological museum is now established in the old dwelling-place of the bishops.

The west façade of the cathedral, which escaped the fire of 1504, has retained the simplicity and bareness of the twelfth century church and is in remarkable contrast with the richness of the side façades built in the sixteenth century.

The great doorway, which will be fully described further on, is flanked by two small doors surmounted by a tympanum, the arcading of which forms a curious ornamentation.

The two towers were originally alike; it was only in the middle of the thirteenth century that the spire was added to the south tower.

This +SPIRE+ is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and for nearly seven centuries has been the admiration of architects and archæologists because of the science, audacity and solidity of its construction, which was proof against fire, the inclemency of the weather, and German shells.

Its summit is 255 feet above the ground. Octagonal in shape, it rests on the square base of the tower.

The transition from the square to the octagon is masked by the four pinnacles (each supported by three small columns), which occupy the four corners of the square.

The upper part of the spire is pierced with eight highly ornamented dormer windows; the arrises of the spire are decorated with crockets.

This construction reveals the great art of the architect, who knew how to break the monotony of the spire's long, sloping lines without making them appear heavy.

The little Place du Parvis shown above is charming in its archaical decoration.

The edifice seen on the left of the photograph is the old home of the Vermandois family, modified in the fourteenth century. One can walk round the courtyard of the old dwelling, entering through the door seen between two big trees.

Between the house of Vermandois and the church stands the Chapter House (_see p. 59_).

The twelfth century doorway was damaged during the Revolution. The great statues were decapitated but have since been restored. The bas-reliefs suffered considerably, also.

This is the first doorway consecrated to the Virgin. Its design served as a model for those of the Cathedrals of Chartres, Rheims, Amiens, and Notre-Dame de Paris.

The bas-relief of the lintel, shown below, represents, on its left side, the death of the Virgin. This part is much damaged. The apostles encircle the bed on which the Virgin is lying, two of them swinging censers. Two winged-angels bear away the Virgin's soul, portrayed as a new-born babe wrapped in a swaddling cloth.

The right side, which represents the Resurrection of the Virgin, is in a better state of preservation. An angel stands ready to crown Mary, who is raised from her bed by three others, while a fourth leans forward the better to see over those in front.

All this sculpture shows a truth and freedom of attitude of which very few examples are found in the twelfth century.

Above the lintel, in the tympanum, is the Triumph of the Virgin; the execution of this work is far from equal to that of the lintel.

In the niches of the arches are statues of the patriarchs, the prophets and the kings of Judah.

The eight great statues which flank the door represent personages from the Old Testament.

The one nearest the door, on the left, is Abraham. He holds his son by the hair and stands ready to behead him, but an angel restrains his sword.

Beneath the pedestals of the large statues is a "+Calendar+," _i.e._, a set of symbolical scenes typifying the twelve months of the year, or the seasons. That of Senlis is carved with much spirit.

The south front of the cathedral has not the harmony of that of the west.

The lower part of the apse dates from the twelfth century, with its radial chapels and, above, the little semi-circular windows of the galleries. The upper part of the church belongs to the sixteenth century.

The rich façade of the transept also dates from the sixteenth century.

The opposite view shows the detail of the +SOUTH FAÇADE OF THE TRANSEPT+ designed by Pierre Chambiges, son and pupil of Martin Chambiges. The latter worked on the Cathedrals of Beauvais, Sens and Troyes, and his son drew inspiration from his work for the execution of that entrusted to him at Senlis; this explains the great resemblance that various portions of those edifices bear to one another.

In comparing the south portal with the western façade one notes the development of Gothic architecture from the twelfth century, when its restraint and simplicity of line still recalled Roman art, to the sixteenth century, when rich, flamboyant decoration flared in its final splendour, making way for the art of the Renaissance that the Italian wars brought into fashion.

The appearance of this fine _ensemble_ is spoilt by the adjacent polygonal vestry erected on its right, which was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. A part of it can be seen in the above photograph; though one can judge still better of its ugly effect from the photograph on the preceding page.

+The north façade of the transept+ is, in its general arrangement, the same as that on the south, but it is less richly ornamented.

On the pediment which surmounts the entrance are carved the salamander and the "F" of Francis I. On that of the south are the arms of France.

The tourist should not fail to look at the north side of the Cathedral, which is very picturesque.

On the north tower the marks of German shells are still to be seen.

They are clearly shown in the photograph (_foot pp. 46-47_).

The galleries of the cathedral are among the most beautiful in France. The above view, taken from the choir galleries which overlook the southern part of the transept, shows those of the nave in enfilade.

_In order to visit these galleries the key must be obtained from the vestry._

In the chapel seen on the right as one re-enters the church by the south door, the visitor will notice the hanging bosses of the vault of which a view is given opposite.

In the chapter house at the north-west end of the cathedral (_see plan, p. 58_), is seen the curious capital of the central pillar, on which is carved a feast of jesters.

The opposite view shows a fragment of it.

Two of the figures are playing the organ, that on the right is working the bellows, another with a stick beats the tambourine that he holds between his legs; on the remainder of the capital other figures are dancing.

The chapter house was used by the canons of the cathedral.

=Church of Saint-Frambourg= (historical monument)

_This stands in a little street which opens on the south of the cathedral square. The church can be seen from the square._

This church was founded on the site of a Roman temple, by Queen Adelaide, wife of Hugues Capet. Rebuilt in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, transformed into a "Temple of Reason" during the Revolution, it now serves as a carpenter's workshop.

On the façade one can distinguish the place intended for a large rose window, which, however, was never finished.

On the left side of the façade stood a tower, since demolished.

The church has no roof left above the vaulting. _To visit the interior (consisting of a single nave of graceful proportions) apply to the carpenter._ The entrance to the workshop is seen on the left of the photograph.

=Church of Saint-Pierre= (historical monument)

_Market-day on Tuesdays and Fridays. If the tourist should wish to go to the top of the belfry or to visit the church on other than market days, he must apply to the concierge of the Tribunal (county court) in the square._

This old town of Senlis is so rich in relics of the past that it puts its ancient religious monuments to quite profane uses.

We have seen above that Saint-Frambourg shelters a carpenter. Saint-Pierre serves as a market, another church as a theatre, a fourth as a museum, and others as clothing stores or barns. Five have completely disappeared; as for the Abbey of Saint-Vincent, it has been turned into a college.

Saint-Pierre was founded in 1029 and reconstructed during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

The roof of the nave was begun in stone, but completed in timber-work. The façade dates from the sixteenth century and recalls the work of Pierre Chambiges in the cathedral.

The right-hand tower dates from the seventeenth century. From the upper platform there is a splendid view of the town and the surrounding forests. Another more ancient tower exists, the base of which is the remains of the primitive Roman church. The spire (the top of which is seen in the opposite photograph) was added in the fifteenth century.

=The Castle= (historical monument)

_The castle belongs to the Count Turquet de La Boisserie, who allows it to be visited. Apply to the concierge._

_The entrance shown in the above view is in the Rue du Châtel, quite close to the square of Parvis-Notre-Dame._ On the left side stands the old Hôtel des Trois-Pots, so called from the signboard which hangs from the first floor, and formed of three pots which are being filled by a thin stream of water.

This old dwelling recalls all the history of France from the Gallo-Roman conquest to the reign of Henri IV.

The castle itself, of which only a part exists (visible on the left in the above photograph), was erected on the site of an old Roman fort. At the foot ran the boundary line of the town, partly formed by the wall which encloses this side of the estate and the tower which flanks the north front of the buildings.

The Merovingian and Carlovingian kings often inhabited the castle, situated as it was in the midst of their favourite hunting-grounds.

It was the theatre of numerous historical events: Pépin, Duke of Aquitaine, grandson of Charlemagne, died imprisoned there, and Baldwin of Flanders carried off from there the daughter of Charles the Bald. In 987, the last Carlovingian king having died while out hunting, the French lords assembled in the castle and elected, as king, Hugues Capet whose dynasty reigned in France until the Revolution. Philippe-Auguste held festivities there on returning from his wedding with Elizabeth of Hainault. Saint Louis founded the priory of Saint-Maurice.

During the Hundred Years War, Catherine of France was married to Henry V. of England at Senlis, in 1420.

After Henri IV., the castle, being very dilapidated, was gradually abandoned. Justice was still administered there until the falling in of the Audience Chamber in the eighteenth century.

The interior of the castle is in ruins. There is one room to be seen, called Henri IV.'s room, which is shown on the following page. It dates from the thirteenth century, and is covered with fine panelling. The fireplace was altered in the fifteenth century, but the big circular section flue remains just as it was two centuries earlier.

On the left of this fireplace a thirteenth century window (now blocked up) can still be distinguished. The one at the further end of the room belongs to the sixteenth century.

In the photograph some tombstones are seen, resting against the wall; on a fragment placed against the chimney-piece are the arms of Diane de Poitiers (characterised by the crescent); the two cannon balls are of stone; these were hurled from catapults and from the first bombarding machines.

Of the chapel built in the beginning of the twelfth century nothing remains but ruins, a view of which is given (_page 61_). It was situated on the first floor; a "semi-circular" arcade of the nave is still to be seen, on the right side. The ground floor, vaulted like an arbour, formed a passage.

The priory of Saint-Maurice, of which one ivy-covered building still exists (visible on the right of the photograph at the top of the preceding page), was founded by Saint Louis in honour of Saint Maurice who commanded the Theban legion, massacred under Diocletian for refusing to worship false gods.

In 1234 the king succeeded in obtaining the bodies of several of these martyrs from the vicar of Saint-Maurice-en-Valais.

A church, copied from the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was built to shelter these relics, but was destroyed during the Revolution.

Passing under the Roman enclosure by a subterranean passage, we arrive at the old moat transformed into a kitchen garden. From here, there is a very interesting view of the wall and the Roman towers, the cathedral and the castle. A good idea of it is given by the photograph at the foot of the preceding page.

The Roman enclosure continues towards the cathedral, passes by the apse, from there to Saint-Frambourg, and its oval rejoins the castle by the Place de la Halle, the Rue aux Fromages, and the Rue du Puits-Tiphaine. It measured 312 m. (1,024 ft.) at its greatest diameter and 242 m. (794 ft.) at its smallest diameter; twenty-eight towers adorned the walls which were 7 m. (23 ft.) high and 4 m. (13 ft.) thick.

The town, having grown, was cramped in the limits of the Roman city, so the new ramparts were raised between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries; the tourist has already travelled over a part of them.

The platform of the Roman fort, which was followed by the castle, stood on the part which (with the Rue Villevert) forms a corner of the estate. It is reached by the narrow passage, made in the thickness of the sub-basement, which led to the dungeons. It was in one of these (towards the year 870) that Pépin, King of Aquitaine, died, imprisoned by order of Charles the Bald, against whom he had revolted.

Subterranean passages connected certain important points of the castle. They were supposed to lead as far as the Castle of Montépilloy (_see p. 67_) and the Abbey of Châalis (_see p. 70_).

=The old Abbey of Saint-Vincent=

_To view, apply to the concierge in the Rue de Meaux._

The Abbey of St.-Vincent was founded in 1065 by Anne of Russia, wife of Henri I., King of France, in fulfilment of a vow.

The abbey church was rebuilt in the twelfth century.

The tower, which dates from that period, is square; it has two storeys with very high dormer windows grouped in pairs on each front, which give a very light appearance to the general structure.

The other buildings belonging to the Abbey were rebuilt in the seventeenth century. Inside, an interesting cloister still exists, with a Doric colonnade, shown on the opposite view.

After the Revolution the Abbey was turned into a hospital, then into barracks, and after that into spinning mills. In 1836 it became the College Saint-Vincent, counting among its pupils Marshal Canrobert and the poet José-Maria de Hérédia.

Many inhabitants of Senlis took refuge in the Abbey cellars during the bombardment of September 2, 1914. St.-Vincent soon served as an annexe to the hospital, which was too small to hold all the wounded. In the photograph (_page 42_) we see the transport of the wounded being carried on by the Red Cross in September, 1914. This temporary hospital remained after the departure of the Germans, which explains the presence of the wounded seen in the foreground of the opposite view.

=The Arena= (historical monument)

_The gate at the entrance of the road leading from the Place de Creil to the Arena is sometimes locked. Apply to the Syndicat d'Initiative (Hôtel du Grand-Cerf) for the key._

The arena was discovered in 1864. It apparently goes back as far as the third century.

The tiers encircle a track measuring 130 feet by 110 feet. Two large entrances, which were vaulted, lead into the arena at each extremity of the great axis. On the other axis are two little rooms, which were no doubt reserved for the gladiators. In the southern one, niches are hollowed in the wall: these probably served as cupboards.

FROM SENLIS TO MEAUX (65 km.)

(See maps inserted between pages 80-81)

via +Chamant+, +Montépilloy+, +Baron+, +Châalis+, +Ermenonville+.

_Starting from the Compiègne Gate, we leave the town by the Route Nationale_ (N 17). _After having crossed the railway we turn to the right and follow_ N 32 _as far as the first road on the right bordered with trees, which leads to Chamant. A hundred yards this side of the village we enter a field enclosed by hedges, on the right of the road (2½ km.)._ In this field, which appears in the photograph (_p. 50_), the German troops were encamped. M. Odent, the Mayor of Senlis, and six other hostages were shot there (_pp. 49-50_). M. Odent's grave is near the wood which skirts the side of the field opposite the one which borders the road. Near the enclosing hedge is the grave of a German captain.

_Go on to the village of =Chamant=, turn to the right, then to the left as far as the church, the steeple of which can be seen_. This church dates from the twelfth century, and was modified in the fourteenth and sixteenth. The Roman spire, shown below, is remarkable. In the interior, the capitals and vaulting decorated in many colours were restored at the expense of Napoléon the Third, as was also the tomb of Lucien Bonaparte's wife, which is to be found in the side chapel.

_Go round the church, turn to the left, then to the right, near the firemen's gymnasium._

The road, planted with trees, which forms a continuation (on the other side of the Route Nationale) of the road on which we stand, leads (700 yards further on) to the Castle of Chamant, where the German Headquarters Staff stayed. The cellar was pillaged, and more than 1,200 bottles of champagne were emptied.

This castle, which dates from the seventeenth century, was inhabited by Lucien Bonaparte. Attached to it are important racing stables.

_Follow_ N 17 _for about 1,500 yards, then turn to the right towards Ognon (8½ km.). Turn twice to the right in front of the church and go towards Barbery, the factories of which can be seen from afar. Cross the railway (12½ km.) near the station which was set on fire by the Germans, and keep straight on towards the keep of =Montépilloy= (13½ km.)_, which stands on a neighbouring hill.

The castle, the entrance to which is shown on the opposite view, forms part of a farm.

Its name comes from _Mons speculatorum_ or "Mount of the watchers." It was built in the twelfth century. On August 15, 1429, Jeanne d'Arc occupied it. An English army commanded by the Duke of Bedford was between Montépilloy and Senlis. The battle took place on August 16, and enabled the troops of the king of France to retake Senlis. The castle was dismantled under Henri IV.

To obtain a view of the whole and to realise the dominating position of the castle one must, before entering it, walk a few steps along the road which descends on the right of the farm.

The entrance door is flanked by two large towers. The bulky masses of masonry, which supported the chains by which the drawbridge was worked, are still to be seen. We cross the old moats, of which portions still exist. On entering the courtyard we see the imposing ruins of the two towers, one circular (of which only one large piece of the wall remains) the other square.

_We retrace our steps._

_On leaving the village, near an iron shed we turn into the paved road on the right and continue about 400 yds._ The German guns which bombarded Senlis were placed in the hollow on the right. A German grave will be noticed in the meadow.

_We return to the road and go down towards Barbery. After the level crossing, turn to the right into the main road. Journey 4½ km. turn again to the right, cross the railway line, then the village of Ducy; climb a ridge and descend by zig-zags to =Baron= (27 km.)._

_Entering Baron, we turn to the left in the High Street and, 300 yards further on, at the end of the block, reach the +house of Albéric Magnard+._

It is marked by a marble tablet (visible in the opposite view), on which is engraved the following inscription:

"Albéric Magnard, musical composer, born in Paris on the 9th of June, 1865; died on the 3rd of September, 1914, shot and burnt in his house while trying to defend it."

Celui-là qui, rebelle à toute trahison, Et préférant la Muse à toute Walkyrie A défendu son art contre la barbarie Devait ainsi mourir défendant sa maison

Edmond +Rostand+, _de l'Académie Française_.

(He who, revolting against treachery And preferring the Muse to any Valkyrie Defended his art against barbarity, Was doomed thus to die, defending his home)