Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus (Abbaye Saint-Philibert de Tournus)

What you will see

Enter through the massive narthex, then look up in the nave: tall round pillars carry a series of barrel vaults set crosswise, an unusual arrangement that fills the church with light. Climb to the Saint-Michel chapel above the narthex, minding your head on the way, and go down into the crypt. Finish in the cloister, the chapter house, the refectory and the cellar, which complete the medieval monastery.

History

Tradition holds that Saint Valerian was martyred here around 178 and buried on the site of the present crypt. In 875 King Charles the Bald gave the monastery and the town to Benedictine monks from Noirmoutier, who had fled Viking raids carrying the relics of their patron, Saint Philibert. The abbey then became the head of a network of monasteries and estates reaching far across the kingdom.

Hungarian raiders attacked Tournus in 937, and the church was rebuilt in stages. The choir was consecrated in 1019, and Abbot Ardain later added the narthex with its upper chapel of Saint-Michel. Pope Calixtus II consecrated a new choir in 1120. During the Revolution the church escaped destruction by serving as a Temple of Reason, and after 1802 it became a parish church again.

Care of the building continued in modern times. New stained-glass windows by Brigitte Simon, of the Reims workshops, and by other glassmakers were installed between 1958 and 1967. In 2001 and 2002 the nave and choir were restored, and mosaics were rediscovered in the ambulatory. The church remains a living parish church, with the old monastic buildings still grouped around it.