We first saw the abbey church at Tournus in 1989, and I was impressed, and remained impressed. It is a 10th-11th century Romanesque church, and, until we saw Charlemagne's "cathedral" in Aachen in 2011, it is likely the oldest strictly European (post-Roman) building we have seen. From Beaune we headed south, with Tournus one of a couple of notable stops.
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The abbey was founded by survivors of the
Viking raids in Normandy, carrying the remains/
relics of St. Philibertus; in Burgundy they got
raided by Hungarians and even Moors; and
resisted Cluny's efforts to take them over; times
were nasty and brutish |
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| Nave |
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| Elevation |
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11th century mosaic in the ambulatory, recently discovered,
relating the Zodiac to monthly labors, a common Medieval
theme |
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| Not a lot of sculpture going on... |
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| Altar |
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| Looking astern, great organ |
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| Now in the crypt |
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| This puppy is really old |
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| More crypt |
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| 10th century well |
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| Crypt view |
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| Outside, looking at tower |
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| Cloister |
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| Cloister sculpture |
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Deteriorating jamb statues removed for
preservation |
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| Capitals, other pieces, removed for preservation |
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| Now in the huge hall above the huge narthex |
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| Looking up into the tower above |
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| Thus; impressive place... |
1 comment:
Interesting staircase in the tower. I love the old churches, too.
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