The consecration of the unfinished church took place in 1191. Towards 1240, the transept was raised and the spire, which is still the pride of Senlis, built. In 1504, lightning set fire to the cathedral, which went on burning for two days. Luckily the spire was saved. The reconstruction of all the higher parts and of the façades of the transept lasted until 1560 and completely transformed the appearance of the building. During the Revolution it was used as a ballroom and afterwards as a store-house for fodder. In 1801 it became once more a place of worship. [Illustration: CATHEDRAL SEEN FROM THE STEEPLE OF ST. PIERRE] It has been seen (_p. 46-47_) that the cathedral was not spared by the German shells on September 2, 1914, and that its vicar very nearly shared the mayor's tragic fate. The opposite view is taken from the top of the steeple of St. Peter's Church. In the foreground are seen the buildings of the old bishop's palace, standing on a Gallo-Roman site; one of the towers of this enclosure was utilised in their construction. After 1790 Senlis was no longer a bishopric, and an archæological museum is now established in the old dwelling-place of the bishops. The west façade of the cathedral, which escaped the fire of 1504, has retained the simplicity and bareness of the twelfth century church and is in remarkable contrast with the richness of the side façades built in the sixteenth century. [Illustration: PLACE DU PARVIS] The great doorway, which will be fully described further on, is flanked by two small doors surmounted by a tympanum, the arcading of which forms a curious ornamentation. The two towers were originally alike; it was only in the middle of the thirteenth century that the spire was added to the south tower. This +SPIRE+ is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and for nearly seven centuries has been the admiration of architects and archæologists because of the science, audacity and solidity of its construction, which was proof against fire, the inclemency of the weather, and German shells. [Illustration: THE SPIRE OF THE CATHEDRAL] Its summit is 255 feet above the ground. Octagonal in shape, it rests on the square base of the tower. The transition from the square to the octagon is masked by the four pinnacles (each supported by three small columns), which occupy the four corners of the square. The upper part of the spire is pierced with eight highly ornamented dormer windows; the arrises of the spire are decorated with crockets. This construction reveals the great art of the architect, who knew how to break the monotony of the spire's long, sloping lines without making them appear heavy. The little Place du Parvis shown above is charming in its archaical decoration. The edifice seen on the left of the photograph is the old home of the Vermandois family, modified in the fourteenth century. One can walk round the courtyard of the old dwelling, entering through the door seen between two big trees.