The same friend of mine who recently visited the cathedral of Ss Peter and Paul in Troyes, France, also went to see the abbey church of St Philibert in Tournus, about 60 miles to the north of Lyon, and has gracious shared these pictures with us. This abbey was founded in 875, and named for a saint who founded another important monastery, Jumièges in northern France (very close to Rouen) in the 7th century. The current buildings date from the 11th century, and constitute one of the largest religious complexes of the Romanesque style that survives in France. As is the case with most such churches, it was modified a number of times, and also includes some Gothic elements. The massive solid wall of the façade is very typical of the style.
The entrance from the cloister to the church.
The barrel vaulting of the central nave is also very typical of the Romanesque.
The organ mounted on the counterfaçade.
A side-altar with the relics of St Philibert.
Many Romanesque churches, and especially those that possessed the relics of a prominent saint, were built with large crypts so that the pilgrims could go down to visit the shrine without disturbing the liturgical life of the main church. (One of the innovations of the Gothic was to widen churches so that pilgrims could remain on the main level.) The crypt area of St Philibert is particularly extensive.
Remains of fresco decorations.
A decent baptismal font with some not-offensive modern additions.
A display of old columns from parts of the conventual buildings around the church which have long since been dismantled.
The cloister, also very typical Romanesque in the massive solidity of the columns.
A view of the church and the belltower on the façade from within the space of the former conventual buildings.
The chapter house, currently housing a display of typically modern graceless lumps pretending to be sculptures of things.
An original capital.
