Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe

The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is a Roman Catholic church located in Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, in Poitou, France.

Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe
UNESCO World Heritage Site
LocationSaint-Savin, France
CriteriaCultural: (i), (iii)
Reference230bis
Inscription1983 (7th session)
Websitehttp://www.abbaye-saint-savin.fr/
Coordinates46°33′51″N 0°51′58″E
Location of Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe in France

Description

The Romanesque church was begun in the mid-11th century and contains many beautiful 11th- and 12th-century murals which are still in a remarkable state of preservation. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

The cruciform church carries a square tower over its crossing. The transept was built first, then the choir with its ambulatory with five radial chapels in the polygonal apse. In the next building campaign, three bays of the nave were added, the bell tower and its porch, and finally the last six bays of the nave. The bell tower is finished by a fine stone spire more than 80 meters high, added in the 14th century and restored in the 19th century.

The barrel vaulted nave is supported on magnificently-scaled columns with foliate capitals.

Below the church is the crypt of the martyr brothers St Savin and St Cyprian, decorated with frescos depicting scenes from their lives.

  • 12th century Romanesque mural (God speaks to Noah)
  • Fresco, Sts Savinus and Cyprian are tortured
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See also

References
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