William of Sens
Encyclopedia
William of Sens was a 12th century French architect
, supposed to have been born at Sens
, France
.
He is referred to in September 1174 as having been the architect who undertook the task of rebuilding the choir of Canterbury cathedral
, originally erected by Conrad, the prior
of the monastery, and destroyed by fire in that year. William had supposedly worked upon the first major Gothic
religious building, the Saint Denis Basilica
near Paris
and as such was brought in for his skills in the modern, lighter method of building.
William was an ambitious man, and the monks considered him perhaps a little too proud. He was working on the church when he slipped from the scaffolding. He was badly bruised and nearly died. The monks recorded that perhaps it was spite of the devil or vengeance from God.
He never was able to work again. He allegedly gave the job to a monk, but he felt that he would be outcast from monastic society and gave it to a man known only as William the Englishman
. A BBC
television program How to build a Cathedral inferred that he was paralysed after the fall.
He completed the eastern portion of the church, and finished it in 1184. Viollet-le-Duc believed, from the close analogy between the 12th-century part of Canterbury cathedral and that portion of Sens cathedral
constructed about the same time, that the tradition associating the name of William of Sens with Canterbury cathedral was well founded, but he was not able to add very much to our knowledge beyond a statement that William's death occurred within a few years after his return to France. Various histories of Canterbury cathedral refer to him, and all the available information respecting him was subsequently reproduced by Viollet-le-Duc in his work on French architecture and in a monograph on the cathedral at Sens.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, supposed to have been born at Sens
Sens
Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.Sens is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He is referred to in September 1174 as having been the architect who undertook the task of rebuilding the choir of Canterbury cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
, originally erected by Conrad, the prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of the monastery, and destroyed by fire in that year. William had supposedly worked upon the first major Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
religious building, the Saint Denis Basilica
Saint Denis Basilica
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church in the commune of Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris. The abbey church was created a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy...
near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and as such was brought in for his skills in the modern, lighter method of building.
William was an ambitious man, and the monks considered him perhaps a little too proud. He was working on the church when he slipped from the scaffolding. He was badly bruised and nearly died. The monks recorded that perhaps it was spite of the devil or vengeance from God.
He never was able to work again. He allegedly gave the job to a monk, but he felt that he would be outcast from monastic society and gave it to a man known only as William the Englishman
William the Englishman
William the Englishman was an English architect and stonemason. He completed the work done on Canterbury Cathedral in England by the French architect William of Sens, after the latter was badly injured in a fall from scaffolding on the cathedral.He is commemorated on the Albert Memorial in London...
. A BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television program How to build a Cathedral inferred that he was paralysed after the fall.
He completed the eastern portion of the church, and finished it in 1184. Viollet-le-Duc believed, from the close analogy between the 12th-century part of Canterbury cathedral and that portion of Sens cathedral
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Sens
Sens Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Sens, Bourgogne, eastern France. It was one of the earliest Gothic buildings in the country, and the largest of the early Gothic churches. The choir was begun in 1140. As was typical in cathedral construction work progressed westwards, building the nave,...
constructed about the same time, that the tradition associating the name of William of Sens with Canterbury cathedral was well founded, but he was not able to add very much to our knowledge beyond a statement that William's death occurred within a few years after his return to France. Various histories of Canterbury cathedral refer to him, and all the available information respecting him was subsequently reproduced by Viollet-le-Duc in his work on French architecture and in a monograph on the cathedral at Sens.