Consecrated in 1049, used as a warehouse during the Revolution and partly rebuilt in the 19th century, this grandiose Romanesque church appears on Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites as a treasured stop on the Chemin de St-Jacques de Compostelle. The remains of 11th-century decorative paintings – in rich ochre, ginger and gold tones – in its ornate sculpted interior are striking.
Église St-Hilaire le Grand
Poitiers
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Nearby Poitiers attractions
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Today it houses the law courts, but nearly a thousand years ago this stunning building was the seat of the Counts of Poitou and Dukes of Aquitaine. Its…
2. Église Notre Dame la Grande
0.67 MILES
The celebrated western façade of this Romanesque church was exquisitely sculpted in soft gold stone between 1115 and 1130. Spot the temptation of Adam and…
0.77 MILES
The 1970s Brutalist architecture of this art museum, built from reinforced concrete, is a shock after the elegance of its ancient episcopal neighbours…
0.79 MILES
Constructed in the 4th and 5th centuries on Roman foundations, this ginger-stone baptistery formed part of the episcopal ensemble with the cathedral, 100m…
0.82 MILES
The town's grand Gothic cathedral safeguards beautiful 13th-century oak-carved choir stalls, an 18th-century organ with more than 3000 pipes and…
6.13 MILES
This futuristic theme park takes you whizzing through space, diving into the deep-blue ocean depths, and racing around city streets and on a close…
7. Abbaye de St-Savin sur Gartempe
25.42 MILES
Nicknamed the 'Romanesque Sistine Chapel', this Romanesque abbey-church – a Unesco World Heritage Site – showcases extraordinarily fine frescoes from the…