Romanesque Churches of France
Below is an illustrated index of the 39 Romanesque Churches of France profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.
The Ladies' Abbey was founded by Queen Mathilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, in 1063. Its church, La Trinité, is a fine example of Romanesque architecture.
The Men's Abbey was founded by William the Conquerer in the 11th century. Its church, the Romanesque Église St-Etienne, is the largest and most impressive church in Caen.
The Cathédrale St-Sauveur in Aix was built from the 5th century to the 15th century. Its many highlights include an ancient baptistery, a fine cloister, and Nicolas Fromen's Burning Bush Triptych.
Located in the Loire Valley, Angers Cathedral is a unique mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. It contains notable tapestries, sculptures and stained glass.
Once part of a priory, this church dates from the 11th century. It has sculptures over two portals, lively carved corbels, and some unusual capitals inside.
Located in a peaceful village setting overlooking a pasture, this church's beautiful architecture is enhanced by fascinating Romanesque sculpture inside and out.
Dating from the early 12th century with later Gothic additions, the Cathédrale St-Lazare is a pilgrimage church (for relics of Lazarus) famed for its splendid sculptures by the Romanesque sculptor Gislebertus.
This 12th-century Romanesque cathedral is dwarfed by the grand Palais des Papes that was later built next door. Inside are the tombs of several Avignon popes.
One of the finest Romanesque churches in France, pairing large and harmonious architecture with important medieval sculptures and frescoes.
Built in 962 and enlarged in the 12th century, this pilgrimage chapel stands atop a rock pinnacle 260 feet high. It contains a marvelous carved portal and frescoes.
A collegiate church with fascinating Romanesque sculptures and a spectacular location in a medieval town overlooking a river.
In the Middle Ages, Cluny was the center of a major monastic movement. Its church was the largest Christian building in the world until St. Peter's was rebuilt in the 16th century.
Nestled high in the hills of southwest France, the picturesque little village of Conques is home to a magnificent Romanesque church and a golden medieval shrine.
Nestled in a wooded valley in Burgundy, the Abbey of Fontenay is a well-restored 12th-century Cistercian monastery founded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
Nestled in a green valley not far from Narbonne, the 12th-century Cisterican Abbey of Fontfroide is one of the most complete abbey complexes remaining today.
This Carolingian oratory near Orléans was built in 806 by Bishop Theodulf, Charlemagne's adviser. Containing rare Byzantine mosaics, it is one of the oldest and most unique churches in France.
Standing atop a hill in the center of a Burgundian village, Gourdon Church has a pale-pink interior with restored Romanesque frescoes and carved capitals.
This squat, solid Romanesque church in southern Burgundy is notable for its 11th-century architecture and interesting sculptures, including a cyclops playing a pan-flute.
The exotic facade of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame overlooks Le Puy from the top of steep medieval street. It is still a major starting point for pilgrimages to Santiago.
This church with a stout facade is the seat of the highest-ranking archbishop in France. Built from 1180 to 1480, it combines both Romanesque and Gothic styles.
Completed in 1100 AD, the cloister of Moissac Abbey in southwest France is one of the finest galleries of Romanesque art in the world. It is the oldest and largest cloister with narrative capitals.
This small rocky island just off the north coast of France is topped with a magnificent fortified Benedictine abbey, built in the 11th century.
Built in the early 12th century, this beautiful Romanesque church has an apse decorated with multicolored stone, carved portals and capitals covered in sculptures.
This unique Romanesque-Byzantine church of the 11th and 12th centuries has one of the finest Romanesque faces in France, covered in a jumble of carvings of saints and biblical scenes.
The twin-towered Cathérale St-Pierre was founded in 1162 and completed two centuries later. It has a fine Gothic west front and some early stained glass.
Located about 100 miles north of Toulouse, Rocamadour is a spectacular natural and religious site perched high on a rocky plateau that receives 1.5 million visitors each year.
This attractive and important Romanesque church on the Loire River has been a major place of pilgrimage since 673, when the relics of St. Benedict were brought here from Montecassino.
The 12th-century Church of St. Reverianus in Burgundy was once a priory church affiliated with Cluny and a stop for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. It has important Romanesque capitals in the choir and late medieval frescoes in the apse.
This Romanesque and Gothic church dates mostly from the 11th century, but is built over an ancient church. It contains the tomb of the city's patroness, Queen Radegunda, and some painted capitals.
Founded in the 6th century and rebuilt in the 12th century, the Basilica of St. Andoche is famed for its magnificent Romanesque capitals depicting biblical stories and medieval scenes.
Founded in 1148, the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque is a lovely Cistercian abbey and one of the best places to see Provence's famed lavender fields.
Built in the 11th century, the pilgrimage church of St-Hilaire has a fine apse surrounded by chapels, wall paintings in the choir and several carved capitals.
This 11th-century church on the north side of town originally belonged to a Benedictine monastery. The exterior features a Romanesque apse topped with a Gothic chancel and flying buttresses.
Boasting a spectacular location in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France, the 11th-century abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou has a wonderful collection of Romanesque carvings.
One of the oldest churches in Paris, the Romanesque St-Pierre-de-Montmartre was consecrated in 1147. Inside are 7th-century capitals and an early ribbed vault.
Dedicated to a 6th-century abbot from Poitiers, the Church of St. Porchaire is a Carolingian foundation with a Romanesque tower and Late Gothic interior.
A former cathedral, St-Trophime is notable for its elaborately carved Romanesque portal depicting the Last Judgment and its two-story cloisters.
This riverside Burgundian church has a 10th-century crypt, a tall nave with an unusual vault, carved capitals, an important Romanesque Madonna and newly-discovered 12th-century mosaics of the zodiac.
Famed for its Romanesque sculpture, this 12th-century basilica is the largest Romanesque church in France. It attracted many pilgrims due to its relics of Mary Magdalene.
