Senez Cathedral formerly the seat of the Bishopric of Senez, abolished under the Concordat of 1801, when its territory was added to the Diocese of Digne.
The present Romanesque church stands on the site of several older cathedral buildings, but itself dates from the 12th-13th centuries. Construction started in 1176 and the cathedral was consecrated on 22 October 1246.
It suffered severely in the French Wars of Religion and its belltower was destroyed by Protestants. It was rebuilt in the 17th century.
It is particularly known for its church furnishings. The tapestries (seven by Aubusson, end of the 17th century, and one by Audemar of Enghien, end of the 16th century) were presented by Monseigneur de Ruffo Bonneval (bishop of Senez 1783–1784) to mark the completion of the restoration. Napoleon I passed through Senez on 3 March 1815 and greatly admired them. The church's choir stalls, lectern and altar, of the 17th and 18th centuries, are also particularly fine. It has two altarpieces of carved and gilded wood, also from the 17th century.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.