Old St. Vincent's, Mâcon

posted June 12, 2008 by Holly Hayes part of trip: Old West Road Trip
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We were mainly in Mâcon because it is a such good base for seeing lots of Romanesque churches in southern Burgundy, but it also has a nice church of its own. It's called Vieux St-Vincent and has been in ruins since the 1700s.

The very impressive facade above was originally inside the church - in taking the picture I was standing where the nave was. Most of the church was built on unstable ground and it was eventually demolished for safety reasons. But the west towers and porch were on solid ground and were spared.

The reflective window they've placed in the empty arch is magnificent, and looks great from the inside, too:

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Entrance was free and a quiet girl who looked like Isla Fisher gave me an informative brochure. Inside there is a nice collection of old tombs and inscriptions that have been found onsite.

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From here you can also see what's left of the west portal tympanum, a common feature of Burgundian Romanesque churches. It's badly damaged and maybe was not of the greatest quality in the first place, but there are some interesting surviving sculptures.

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Heaven, I believe.

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An angel on a capital guards the entrance.

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Outside and around back to the west, there are some nice capitals and column bases.

next: Burgundy Churches: Paray-le-Monial, Anzy-le-Duc and Several-Other-Ones

previous: Hotels, Cars and Food in Mâcon and Clermont

Article Info

Page Title
Old St. Vincent's, Mâcon
Added By
Holly Hayes
Date Published
June 12, 2008
Last Updated
April 15, 2024