A real « museum palace » ! Located in the former Archbishops’ Palace, in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral, the Sens Museums bring together three rich collections (from the State, the City of Sens and the Archaeological Society).
The Cathedral Treasure Considered to this day, due to its importance, as one of the very first in France and Europe, it contains an exceptional collection of ancient fabrics, gold and silverware, splendid 15th century tapestries, liturgical vestments, ivories, enamels and other religious art objects.
The Gallo-Roman collections, from excavations carried out in the Sénonais region. The Gallo-Roman sculptures evoke the monumentality of the public buildings that made up the city of Sens (Agedincum) between the 1st and 3rd centuries. The impressive collection of funerary steles, installed underground, will not leave you indifferent ! Mosaics, architectural blocks (cornices, capitals, columns) and the reconstruction of the façade of a thermal building complete your visit.
Works from the Marrey donation, which includes paintings by (among others !) Brueghel, Boudin, Watteau de Lille, sculptures (including two bronzes by Rodin), and a unique collection of furniture designed by the ironworker Raymond Subes and ceramics by J. Mayodon. The painting room also houses a collection of paintings from the 15th to the 19th century (Guido Reni, Delorme, Rochegrosse), as well as contemporary works by artists working in Sénonais, or with a link to the region.
Since 2021 and the bicentenary of the death of Napoleon I, a room has been dedicated to the Emperor : a collection of Napoleonic souvenirs including, among others, the hat worn by Napoleon I at Waterloo and his horse hunter’s outfit dating from his exile in Saint Helena.
Exhibitions are frequently held in the Orangery and the Synodal Palace. The Museums also organise lecture series and various events throughout the year.
