The Museum reopens following a year of renovations on January 24th, 2026.
From Agedincum to the modern city
The Museum, in the former archbishops’ palace, offers a chance to travel back in time and meet Gallic ancestors. On the stairs of the Museum stands an impressive statue of Brennus, leader of the Senones, who gave their name to the city of Sens and secured their place in history by seizing Rome.
350 years later, Caesar stationed six legions in Agedincum (Sens) before facing Vercingetorix and the Gallic tribes at Alésia. With peace established, a Roman city arose where the Gallic site had been, with streets crossing at right-angles. This urban layout exists today, the Grande Rue corresponding to the old Decumanus Maximus, while Rue André Gâteau, extended by the Rue de l’Ecrivain, corresponds to the old Cardo Maximus.
Mosaics, sculptures and baths can be seen in the museum, however, the true wealth of the Museum’s Gallo-Roman collections lies in the funerary steles. Incorporated in the ramparts built during the barbarian invasions in the 3rd century AD, these steles are exceptionally well preserved.
Sacred Art in the Sens Treasury
Sens became a religious metropolis with the spread of Christianity in the 4th century. In the Middle Ages, the Archdiocese of Sens oversaw the dioceses of Chartres, Auxerre, Meaux, Paris, Orléans, Nevers, and Troyes, and its Archbishop ranked second only to the Pope!
The Cathedral Treasury is housed in the former chapel of the Archbishops’ Palace, which adjoins the cathedral. The treasury contains exceptional pieces, including splendid Flemish tapestries from the 15th century, the chasuble of Thomas Becket, and the Sainte Châsse, an ivory reliquary.
In addition to the Gallo-Roman collections and the Cathedral Treasury, the museum displays other remarkable works, including the Marrey collection of ironworks, paintings from the Flemish and Dutch schools, and two sculptures by Rodin. The museum also houses the Treasury of Villethierry, which contains 847 Bronze Age jewels.
Continue your visit in the Carnot Museum and Art Gallery in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and other heritage sites around Sens.
