World Heritage Photos

The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is located in Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, a tiny village east of Poitiers. The  abbey church is the largest hall church in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. After the discovery of the bodies of the martyrs Cyprian and Savin, the abbey was almost certainly founded by Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne. A crypt was built to house the tombs of the martyrs. This crypt survived until the present day. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe was built in the 11th century and expanded in the 13th century, the Gothic spire of the church was added in the 14th century. The barrel vaulted nave is supported by beautiful columns with carved capitals. The barrel vault of the nave, the choir, the crypt, the gallery and the porch of the abbey church are adorned with 11th century murals. The murals of the vault illustrate biblical stories from the Old Testament, events from Genesis and Exodus such as the Creation of Heaven and Earth, Adam and Eve, the Temptation and Fall of Man, the story of Cain and Abel, the Great Flood, the Ark of Noah, the Crossing of the Red Sea, the Tower of Babel. The tympanum above the doorway and the ceiling of the porch are adorned with murals depicting the Apocalypse, the upper tribune of the porch is decorated with murals depicting the Passion of Christ, the choir is decorated with murals of saints and the walls of the crypt are embellished with murals depicting the lives and martyrdoms of the Saints Savin and Cyprian. The Romanesque church is also known as the 'Romanesque Sistine Chapel'. In 1983, the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage.

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   The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is located on the banks of the Gartempe River. Near the abbey, the Gartempe is crossed by a 13th century stone bridge. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe holds one of the largest Romanesque murals in Europe. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993.

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   Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe: The depiction of the Ark of Noah is one of the more recognisable biblical stories of the murals in the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe. The barrel vault of the nave, the choir, the crypt, the gallery and porch of the abbey church are richly adorned with imposing 11th century murals.

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   The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe: This mural depict the construction of the Tower of Babel. Some of the murals are very obvious, such as the Ark of Noah and the Tower of Babel. The depiction of the clothes in these biblical scenes is remarkable, they illustrate the difference between the clothes of the workers and the clothes of the kings and nobles.

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   The columns in the choir of the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe were painted to look like marble. The Romanesque Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe was built in the 11th century. The abbey was expanded in the 13th century, the Gothic spire of the church was added in the 14th century.

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   The choir of the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is embellished with murals of saints. The walls and the vault of the crypt are adorned with murals depicting the lives and martyrdoms of Saint Savin and Saint Cyprian. The Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe was probably founded by Charlemagne (747-814), the Holy Roman Emperor.  

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   The interior of the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is bathed in light. The vaults, the columns and the interior walls of the church are decorated with painted brick motifs. The abbey church is the largest hall church in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. A hall church has a nave and side aisles of approximately equal height.

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   The choir of the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is embellished with 11th century colourful murals, depicting saints. The Romanesque murals of the abbey church were restored in the 19th century and also from 2005 to 2008. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is also known as the 'Romanesque Sistine Chapel'.

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   The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is adorned with 11th and 12th century  murals. The Romanesque murals in the vault illustrate biblical stories from the Old Testament such as Adam and Eve, the Great Flood and the story of Cain and Abel. The abbey church is the oldest hall church of the Poitou-Charentes region in France.

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   The beautiful coloured columns in the choir of the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe. The columns were painted in the 19th century to resemble marble. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is a Roman Catholic Church, it is situated in the small village of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, about 50 km east of Poitiers in the southwest of France.

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    Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe: This mural depicts the Bible story of the drunkeness of Noah. The Romanesque murals escaped the ravages of several wars, such as the French Wars of Religion and the French Revolution. The imposing murals are remarkably well preserved. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is part of a former Benedictine abbey.

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    Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe: Today, the monastic buildings of the abbey are used for administrative purposes. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe was once part of a large abbey that was built at the same time as the Cluny Abbey in France and Durham Cathedral in England. The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is a UNESCO World Heritage.