Basilique Saint-Maurice d'Épinal

Épinal

A massive Romanesque silhouette anchoring old Épinal, between the banks of the Moselle and the merchants' lanes.

The church was founded in the 10th century by Bishop Gérard of Toul at the request of Thierry I, Bishop of Metz, before a new Romanesque church was rebuilt in the middle of the 11th century and consecrated by the Lorraine-born pope Leo IX. The present building sets side by side an 11th-century Romanesque nave and Gothic aisles added in the 13th century, with a chevet whose apsidal chapel is set at an angle of 45 degrees, a rare arrangement in religious architecture. At first a mixed Benedictine abbey, it became in the 13th century a chapter of canonesses. Damaged during the Revolution in 1793, it was restored and then raised to the rank of minor basilica under Pius XI.

Getting there : Listed as a historic monument in 1846; raised to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Pius XI; church open to the public in the very centre of Épinal, Place Saint-Maurice

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

Ambient sound