Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe
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Saint Savin, also referred to as Saint-Savin sur Gartempe, is a commune of the Vienne département, in the former province of Poitou, France. Population: 1,020.
Abbey Church
The Romanesque Abbey Church, begun in the mid 11th century, 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 belltower and its porch, and finally the last six bays of the nave. The belltower 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 column with foliate capitals.
Below the church is the Crypt of St Savin and St Cyprien, also frescoed with the lives of these two saints.
External link
- Fully illustrated description of the church (http://www.art-roman.net/stsavin/stsavin.htm) (in French)