Magnificent Tournus Abbey

The last major sight we visited in Burgundy was the Abbey Church of St. Philibert in Tournus, built in the 11th century. It was magnificent. Here are a few photo highlights.

View of the west front through the abbey towers. We parked right here outside the gate, and there is even closer parking around the church.

View from southwest.

The west front is austere and castle-like with no sculpture, but it is beautifully decorated with Lombard bands and other patterns.

The west door leads into a large porch (narthex), which is short and quite dark. This makes it all the more impressive when you emerge into...

The nave, exceptionally tall and full of light for a Romanesque church.

The vault is an unusual solution allowing windows to be placed in the nave: a system of barrel vaults running crosswise.

Stone stairs on the right side of the porch lead up to St. Michael's Chapel, an atmospheric place. Upstairs chapels, and churches in high places generally, are almost always dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.

On either side of the big door at the east end are two very early Romanesque reliefs, including this bearded chap.

There are some nice views of the nave from the chapel, although they are through smudgy glass and only from the sides.

Back down in the main church, there was a great surprise in the ambulatory - a recently uncovered mosaic pavement featuring the zodiacs and labors of the months! Unfortunately only a few roundels survive intact - May (courting on horseback), Gemini, June (working in the heat), and Cancer.

Detail of Cancer

Detail of June

As if all this weren't enough to see, there is also a fantastic crypt. It is quite large, with a complete ambulatory running around a forest of small columns in the middle.

In the altar area of the crypt is this mysterious well, which is very deep. Its original purpose is unknown.

More of our pictures from Tournus on Flickr.

Magnificent Tournus Abbey posted on June 15, 2008 by Holly Hayes