Senlis

Senlis was a royal residence from the Merovingians onward, and in 987 the assembly that elected Hugh Capet king of the Franks met here, beginning the Capetian line that ruled France for centuries. The town keeps about half of its Gallo-Roman wall around the old core, often built into later houses, a royal castle in ruins, and a cathedral begun in 1153 whose west portal carries an early and influential Coronation of the Virgin. The lanes inside the walls are cobbled and largely unaltered, which has made the town a frequent film location. A museum of hunting occupies the prior's lodging of the old Saint-Maurice priory in the royal castle grounds.

History

Senlis was known in early Roman imperial times as Augustomagus and later as Civitas Silvanectium, the city of the Silvanectes, and in the 3rd century a defensive wall seven metres high was built around it against Frankish raids, about half of which still stands; it stayed in use into the 13th century. About 500 metres west of the walled town are the remains of an amphitheatre that seated as many as 10,000 people for meetings, theatre, gladiators and animal hunts. The early French kings lived here, drawn by the Chantilly forest and its venison, and built a castle on Roman foundations, and in 987 Archbishop Adalbero of Reims gathered the assembly that chose Hugh Capet as king. The kings soon preferred Compiègne and Fontainebleau, but the town revived in the 12th century, when new ramparts were built, before slipping into decline (Wikipedia, Senlis).

What you'll find

• The Gallo-Roman wall - a Roman circuit around the old town, about half of it surviving.
• The cathedral portal - an early Coronation of the Virgin of around 1170.
• The royal castle ruins - remains of the residence where Capet was elected.
• The cobbled lanes - a medieval street plan used often for filming.

When to go

April to October; the town is small and quiet year-round. Museums close on some weekdays. There is no train station, so access is by bus from Chantilly or by car.

Practical notes

There is no railway station; the bus from Chantilly is the practical route. The town is small and covered in a few hours. Some museums keep limited hours.

Nearby

Chantilly lies west; Compiegne is northeast.

Key facts