Gothic Portal
XVth century
Paintings and stained glass windows adorn the sanctuary richly.
The Church Sainte-Radegonde
view of the square. |
By 585, a basilica had been built by the nuns of the monastery of Holy Cross, along the river Clain.
St Radegund’s corps was buried there in 587, and the Church became o place of pilgrimage.
The basilica was destroyed by the Normans in the 9th century,
rebuild twice, and burnt down, until it was consecrated in October 1099
Nine centuries later, there still remains, from that period a wide chancel and a strong Romanesque porch-bell-tower,
at both ends of a large gothic nave.
A rich architecture
The polygonal shaped, exceptionally high apse is lit by seven windows witch allow light on the gothic paintings of its vault. The stained-glasses date from
the 19th century.
The chancel, upraised in the 15th century, is delimited by six massive columns toffed by richly ornamented capitals.
Round the sanctuary, then small apses open on the ambulatory, just as you can find in the other Romanesque church in Poitiers.
Walking in through the porch, and down eleven high steps, you rich the nave. This four-spanned single nave, without any side aisle, is stunning by its
dimension, its soaring vaults and the full light coming in.
In front of you, you can admire a sumptuous stained-glass window, dating from the end of the 13th century.
To the right , on the south side, you can discover the well-known recess “le Pas de Dieu”-got’s foot print – and on the wall, all around the church,
thousands of ex-voto slabs bear witness of the thankfulness of the pilgrims whose prayers had been answered.
Under the chancel, a large crypt shelters Radegund tomb. The funerary hall is surrounded by an 11th century ambulatory, which has been altered several
times since then, three chapels dedicated to local saints on it.
When you come up from the crypt, you can discover the porch, the organ-loft built in 1895 by the architect Jean Formigé – which the present organ stands
on.
An immense vessel
You must not leave this place whithout admiring the outside architecture of this large vessel, from the elegant Romanesque apse – on the Clain side – to
the superb porch-tower – on the Cathedral side - . From the beautiful parvis, well preserved since the Middle-Ages, you can discover a 15th century
flamboyant gothic porch surmounted by a four-storeyed tower: starting from a square shape, it changes into an octagonal structure topped by an eight-sided
roof.u
To know more about it:
"Le Songe de la Moniale" (the nun’s dream)
was published by
“l’Association des Amis de Sainte Radegonde”
for the 9th century of the church.
It will help your visit the church and learn about some great events of his past:
18 € franco
for sale at “Ensemble Josquin des Prés de Poitiers”
10 rue Descartes – 86000 Poitiers –France-
u |
