The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is a Roman Catholic church in Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, Poitou, France. Construction began in the middle of the 11th century. The church has many beautiful murals from the 11th and 12th centuries that are well-preserved. It is sometimes called the "Romanesque Sistine Chapel." The church has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

History

The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe was an old abbey believed to have been founded by Saint Benoît d’Aniane with the support of Charlemagne and his successors, though details about its early history are not clear. The church was rebuilt beginning in 1023. The paintings in the main church were painted between 1095 and 1115.

Description

The cross-shaped church has a square tower above where the arms of the cross meet. The transept was built first. Next, the choir was added, along with an ambulatory and five chapels arranged around a rounded apse. Later, three sections of the nave, the bell tower with its entrance, and finally the last six sections of the nave were added. A tall stone spire, over 80 meters high, was added to the bell tower in the 14th century and later restored in the 19th century. The nave, covered with curved ceilings, is supported by large columns with carved capitals.

Most parts of the church have painted murals showing scenes from the Bible. Murals near the doorway depict the Apocalypse, while those in the gallery show events from the Passion of Christ. In the choir and on the pillars of the transept, images of saints are displayed. The ceiling illustrates scenes from the books of Genesis and Exodus. Beneath the church lies the crypt of the martyr brothers St. Savin and St. Cyprian, decorated with frescoes showing events from their lives.

These paintings are not only beautiful but also serve an educational purpose. To ensure the images were clear from the ground, artists used bold outlines and large areas of color. The style of the Abbey Church of St. Savin Gartempe follows the Angevin tradition, which features simple, flat designs and uses strong color contrasts to highlight light and dark areas. The colors remain bright, showing how sculptures and other artworks from that time might have looked.

Gallery

In the 12th century, a Romanesque mural was created to illustrate the scene of God speaking to Noah. Additionally, a fresco was painted to depict the suffering of Saints Savinus and Cyprian as they were tortured.