Ancienne abbatiale Saint-Genou

Saint-Genou

Of the great abbey church of Saint-Genou, more than fifty metres long, what remains is the chancel, the apse and a truncated transept: the nave, poorly maintained and threatening to collapse, was demolished in 1676. What survives is held to be one of the purest Romanesque monuments in the Berry region. The straight chancel is lined with a colonnade with carved capitals: acanthus leaves, a bestiary of birds and lions, and, on the north side, Daniel in the lions' den, with the Adoration of the Magi on the reverse. Beneath the altar of the round apse lies the tomb of Saint Genou, whose funerary slab has kept its dedicatory inscription. The abbey is said to have been founded in 828 by the count of Bourges, Wilfred, and his wife Ode, at the hamlet of Strada, which became Estrées, then entrusted to Benedictine monks. Pillaged by the Norsemen and the Hungarians, the community moved some hundred metres away, gathered up the body of Saint Genou, and gave the new site the saint's name. The rebuilding of the church began around 994-995; it was consecrated in 1066 by Aymon, archbishop of Bourges, but analysis of the chancel, close in style to Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, dates it to the early 12th century. Tradition makes Genou a bishop sent from Rome in the 3rd century to evangelise Gaul; historians consider this account a much later construction. The church has been listed as a historic monument since the 1862 list.

Wikipédia — Abbaye Saint-Genou de Saint-Genou ↗

Getting there : In the centre of the village of Saint-Genou. Free entry from 9am until sunset according to the regional tourist board (to be checked); the door, a very old one, needs a firm push to open. Allow around three-quarters of an hour for the visit.

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

Ambient sound