Collégiale Saint-Lazare d’Avallon
A pilgrimage church whose 12th-century portals carry some of the richest Romanesque carving in Burgundy.
- Abbey or church
- 1 h 22 from Beaune
- Allow 30 to 45 minutes
- Avallon
€295one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- destinationgrandvezelay.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 22 by road (113 km), €295 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The collegiate church of Saint-Lazare stands in the old town of Avallon, a few steps from the clock tower. Pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela came here to venerate a relic of Saint Lazarus. Two carved portals survive from its 12th-century façade, and inside, the floor steps down towards the choir.
What you will see
Start in front of the main portal and look at its five carved archivolts, where the tourist office points out the twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse, the labours of the months and the signs of the zodiac. Twisted and straight columns alternate on either side, one carved like a net of cords, a detail Viollet-le-Duc admired. Inside, the nave runs downhill: the choir lies 2.5 metres below the portal, reached by seventeen steps and wide landings. In the south aisle, look for a 14th-century stone Saint Michael slaying the dragon and a late 15th-century Saint Anne with the Virgin, then the canons' stalls in the chapel to the right of the choir.
History
The first church, dedicated to Notre-Dame, stood inside the castle walls, and a small crypt from it was found under the choir in 1861. Soon after the year 1000, Duke Henry the Great of Burgundy gave it a relic of Saint Lazarus, and pilgrims came in growing numbers. The church was rebuilt from about 1080 and consecrated by Pope Paschal II in 1106. A chapter of canons served it, and the dukes of Burgundy raised their number to twenty-four. In 1146 it took the name of Saint-Lazare.
In the 12th century the abbey of Cluny, on which the church depended, gave it a richly carved façade with three portals. The north portal was lost in 1633, when a storm brought down the great tower and the first vault of the nave, and the present tower was built in 1670. A 12th-century column statue of a prophet, about two metres tall, had been set into the openings of the belfry in the 17th century. It was taken down in 1907 and now stands on the right jamb of the main portal. The church was on the first list of French historic monuments in 1840.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
Allow 30 to 45 minutes. Saint-Lazare is in the old town of Avallon, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Beaune, with a free car park in front of the church. The Musée de l'Avallonnais is 50 metres away and the Musée du Costume a short walk north. It is a place of worship, so please be discreet during services. In July and August the tourist office runs guided walks of the old town on Thursdays at 11:00. Vézelay is 15 km away, and the two combine easily in one day.
Around here
What to combine with Collégiale Saint-Lazare d’Avallon on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Collégiale Saint-Lazare d’Avallon is about 1 h 22 from Beaune by road (113 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €295 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? A cast of the main portal is on show in Paris, in the gallery of casts of French monuments at the Palais de Chaillot.
Sources
Collégiale Saint-Lazare d’Avallon with a private driver
€295 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests