Basilique Saint-Élophe de Soulosse

Soulosse-sous-Saint-Élophe

A rural sanctuary steeped in the legend of a beheaded saint, off the main tourist circuits.

Built from the 13th to the 15th century on the site where, according to tradition, Saint Elophe was martyred in 362 in the reign of the Emperor Julian, the church mixes Romanesque and Gothic elements in an unusual way. It preserves a recumbent effigy and relics of its patron saint; a large stone statue of him, once set on the roof, was brought down and now stands at the foot of the building. Its 4.5-tonne bourdon and its organ built in 1871 by Jean-Baptiste Alizant are among its notable features. Saint Elophe, traditionally invoked against gout and kidney stones, is the object of a pilgrimage revived in 1992.

Getting there : Registered on the supplementary inventory of historic monuments since March 1926; annual pilgrimage every Monday in October since 1992; approximate coordinates

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

Ambient sound