Saint-Sauveur Church

Saint-Macaire, France

Constructed between the 12th & 15th centuries, Saint-Sauveur Church was built with a dual purpose of being a priory and as well as a place of worship. Not much now remains of the priory, beyond a cloister wall, however the church remains intact and houses some impressive murals which date back to the 14th century. Located at the heart of the old city the church rests on an old river cliff with the town spreading out in a semicircle around it. It was classified as an official historical monument in 1840.

Inside you can find beautiful capitals with biblical scenes from the 12th century, many still retain their polychromy. The western portal, on the other side, was made ar the end of the 13th century with a distinctive Gothic style. The architecture, like many other churches in the region is a mix between Romanesque and Gothic.

References:

seebordeaux.com

Address

Place de l'Église 9, Saint-Macaire, France

See all sites in Saint-Macaire

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Château de Tardes (0,1 km)
Château du Hamel (5,4 km)

Place de la Bourse (41,2 km)
Bordeaux Cathedral (41,2 km)
Saint-Émilion Old Town (37,1 km)
Place des Quinconces (41,6 km)
Monolithic Church of Saint-Emilion (37,1 km)
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux (41,5 km)
Cordeliers Cloister (37,1 km)
Palais Rohan (41,4 km)
Porte Cailhau (40,8 km)

User Reviews

Nawaf Fallatah (3 years ago)
That's wonderful

Virginie Sailly (4 years ago)
Very beautiful place, Saint Macaire is a medieval village, too bad it seems abandoned. The paintings of the Church of St Sauveur are magnificent ...

Christophe Giroire (4 years ago)
Very pretty church whose construction began in the 11th / 12th century. When I visited, a new organ was being installed with most of the pipes still in their plastic covers. With the renovation of this part of the church it was very good.

Ian Harris (4 years ago)
Beautiful church, with well restored and interesting frescoes. The carved figures and what remains of the cloister are also worth seeing.

David Montaub (4 years ago)
Pleasant church open to the public

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Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.