crypts

Beneath the church is a Carolingian crypt, with an apse at each end. It is not normally open to the public.

The crypt can be entered from the south transept by asking a cathedral guide to accompany you. It is well worth doing so, as the earliest part of the cathedral is down here, dating from 1087.

A stairway in the north transept of the church leads down into the 10th-century crypt, the burial place of St. Hugh of Poitiers. Only recently discovered and excavated, it is a dark and atmospheric place.