St. Mary's Abbey

Arles-sur-Tech, France

Arles-sur-Tech is best known for its abbey, which allegedly holds the relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen in a sarcophagus called Sainte Tombe, traditionally believed to have been brought from Rome 10th century. Its waters are traditionally believed to hold miraculous healing properties.

The Benedictine abbey of Sainte-Marie was founded in 778 and is the oldest Carolingian abbey in Catalonia. The main square contains the houses which were the first to be built around the abbey. The Abbey Sainte-Marie has a beautiful gothic cloister built in the 13th century and a large and impressive 18th century organ. Its most curious item though is a 4th century sarcophagus which once contained the relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen.

References:

francethisway.com

Address

Place del Convent 14, Arles-sur-Tech, France

See all sites in Arles-sur-Tech

Details

Founded: 778 AD
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Frankish kingdoms (France)

More Information

www.francethisway.com
www.tourisme-pyreneesorientales.com

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Caixa de Rotllan (3,9 km)

Château Royal de Collioure (37,7 km)
Villefranche-de-Conflent Fortress (26,4 km)
St. Mary Magdalene Church (60,7 km)
Elne Cathedral (31,9 km)
Perpignan Cathedral (34,6 km)
Château de Peyrepertuse (46,6 km)
Château de Castelnou (18,9 km)
Palace of the Kings of Majorca (34 km)
Salses Fortress (48,5 km)

User Reviews

Tony Vickers (6 months ago)
Very relaxing pleasant space to wile away a couple of hours

DD J (7 months ago)
Perfekt, add to must visit

Bob Wells (3 years ago)
Extremely interesting interior, with most interesting 12th Century frescoes. Exterior is less interesting, but still nice.

Claude Cevasco (3 years ago)
Must see ! Beauty

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright bialobrody

Historic Site of the week

Strekov Castle

Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.

Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.