Collégiale Saint-Junien et les ostensions septennales

Saint-Junien

Tradition tells that in the 5th century the hermit Amand withdrew to a bend of the Vienne, and that a young nobleman named Junien, drawn by his reputation for holiness, became his disciple: around their tombs, reputed to work cures, a town was born. The tale is not merely a golden legend — as early as 593, Gregory of Tours describes the crowds of pilgrims at Junien's tomb, so great that a whole town grew up around the sanctuary. Bishop Rorice II had raised an oratory there in the 6th century; the great Romanesque collegiate church seen today was consecrated on 21 October 1100 and completed in the 12th–13th centuries. Behind the high altar, the tomb of Saint Junien, carved in the 12th century from a limestone brought from elsewhere — perhaps from Toulouse — imitates goldsmith's work: Christ in Majesty, the Virgin and Child, and the Elders of the Apocalypse, who reappear painted on the vaults, in frescoes rediscovered in the 20th century. But Saint-Junien lives above all to the rhythm of the septennial ostensions, born at Limoges in 994 during an epidemic of the "burning sickness" (ergotism): every seven years, the relics of the founding saints are solemnly displayed to the crowd. The whole town is then decked out in paper decorations evoking the hermits' forest, a procession of 1,500 costumed participants passes through the streets, and tens of thousands of visitors pour in, believers or not. These Limousin ostensions have been inscribed since 2013 on UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Next ostensions: 2030 — but the collegiate church and its tomb can be visited at any time.

Getting there : Town centre of Saint-Junien, free admission during opening hours. Coordinates are those of the town: an approach point, the collegiate church is in the heart of the old centre.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound