Abbaye Saint-Germain d'Auxerre

Auxerre

Germain, bishop of Auxerre from 418 to 448, is one of the great saints of 5th-century Gaul, and his tomb, on the hill north of the town, became under the Carolingians an abbey of six hundred monks and a school whose masters — Heiric, Remi — are among the most illustrious of the 9th century. It was there, from 841 to 865, that the crypt still visited today was built around the burial place, with its passages, its confessiones and its wall paintings, among the oldest in France; Germain was moved into it in 859. When the Norsemen made the Loire dangerous, the canons of Tours, who had already put the body of Saint Martin out of reach at Cormery and then at Chablis, laid it beside that of Germain; it stayed there until the men of Touraine brought it back, about 885-887, and the feast of the Reversio, on 13 December, keeps the memory of that return at Tours. Legend would later embroider on the stay at Auxerre: the monks are said to have given Martin back only with bad grace, and two paralysed beggars, healed against their will as the shrine passed, to have lost their living by it. The abbey church was rebuilt in Gothic style from 1277 to 1398, without being finished; the Revolution cut it off from its tower of Saint-Jean, of the 12th century, which stands alone. The whole now houses the town's museum of art and history.

Wikipédia — Abbaye Saint-Germain d'Auxerre ↗

Getting there : 2 bis place Saint-Germain, Auxerre. The abbey houses the museum of art and history; the Carolingian crypt and its paintings are seen on a guided tour, included in the ticket (closed on Tuesdays; hours according to the season, enquire). The abbey church and the tower of Saint-Jean can be seen from outside, from the quays.

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

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