Notre-Dame-la-Grande, Poitiers 
Evening view of Notre-Dame-la-Grande from southwest.
See all photos in our Notre-Dame-la-Grande Photo Gallery.
The magnificent Romanesque west facade of the mid-12th century.
Top of the facade and one of its pinecone towers.
Bottom tier of the facade, with biblical frieze.
The Annunication and Stem of Jesse on the west facade.
The Nativity of Christ on the west facade.
Six apostles and a bishop in the middle tier of the facade.
Medallion of Christ on the top tier.
16th-century sculpture group of the Entombment of Christ.
Barrel vault of the choir with 12th-century frescoes.
The Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande in Poitiers is a magnificent Romanesque-Byzantine church from the 11th and 12th centuries. Its wide facade is flanked by pinecone-shaped towers and covered in carvings of saints and biblical scenes.
History
The early history of this fascinating church is something of a mystery, but the first recorded mention of it dates from 924 AD. The present Notre-Dame-la-Grande is thought to date from the late 11th century to the middle of the 12th century. The facade dates from the latter period. The church is not particularly large, so the name probably indicates there were less impressive churches dedicated to Our Lady in medieval Poitiers.
Since at least 1428, every Easter Monday a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary known as the "Virgin of the Keys" was carried in procession around the ramparts of the town. This statue survives today and is kept in the choir of the church.
The church was thoroughly cleaned and restored in 1996; its stone is now a gleaming white. Interestingly, most of the dirt and damage to the facade was caused less by pollution and pigeon droppings than by the salt from the nearby market, which seeped into the ground and up the facade.
What to See
The west front of Notre-Dame-la-Grande (c.1150) is one of the finest Romanesque facades in France. It is flanked by turrets topped with conical spires, which, along with the rich sculpture, are the hallmarks of Poitou Romanesque architecture.
The sculpture of the west front is divided into three tiers. The middle and top tiers are a jumbled array of carved saints, prophets, creatures and foliage. The bottom tier tells the story of Jesus from right to left, based on The Drama of the Prophets, a fifth-century sermon. From left to the right, the carvings depict:
- Adam and Eve committing the original sin under the Tree of Knowledge;
- King Nebuchadnezzar seated on a throne;
- Jesus announced by the prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Moses (sitting over the left portal);
- Annunciation, in which the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary;
- Tree of Jesse (the ancestry of Christ from David's father Jesse), shown as a bird-populated tree growing out of Jesse's head;
- legs of an enthroned figure, perhaps King David;
- an endearing Visitation, in which Mary places her hand on Elizabeth's pregnant belly as she greets her cousin with a kiss;
- the Virgin on her child-bed rocking Jesus in a cradle, while the ox and ass peek in;
- Jesus getting his first bath in a tub while Joseph looks on, head in hands as usual;
- personifications of Peace and Justice in a cautious embrace.
In the middle tier, the word of God is spread by the Twelve Apostles (eight seated below; four standing above) and two local bishop-saints on either end: Hilary and Martin. Only a few apostles still have distinguishable faces; among them is St. Peter, with keys in his left hand. The top tier features a richly-carved oval medallion of Christ in Glory (now headless), surmounted by the sun and moon and surrounded by the symbols of the Four Evangelists. There are interesting carvings of creatures and foliage in thearches at eye-level, too.
The interior consists of a dark, barrel-vaulted nave with no clerestory, narrower side aisles, a transept crossing topped with a tower, a small choir, and a groin-vaulted ambulatory with radiating chapels. A faded 12th-century fresco survives on the choir vault. The rest of the murals, which cover the nave columns and other surfaces with garish geometrical designs, date from the 19th century. There is only one narrative capital, which depicts the Ascension of Christ with angels.
Quick Facts
| Site Information | |
| Names: | Notre-Dame-la-Grande; Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande; Notre-Dame-la-Grande de Poitiers; Great Church of Our Lady |
| Location: | Poitiers, Poitou-Charentes, France |
| Faith: | Christianity |
| Denomination: | Catholic |
| Dedication: | Virgin Mary |
| Category: | Churches |
| Architecture: | Romanesque |
| Date: | 11th-12th centuries |
| Features: | Romanesque Sculpture |
| Status: | active |
| Photo gallery: | Notre-Dame-la-Grande Photo Gallery |
| Visitor Information | |
| Address: | Place Charles-de-Gaulle, Poitiers, France |
| Coordinates: | 46.583266° N, 0.343977° E (view on Google Maps) |
| Lodging: | View hotels near this location |
| Phone: | 05-49-41-22-56 |
| Opening hours: | Daily 8:30am-7pm |
| Cost: | Free |
Travel Resources
- Poitiers Map - our detailed interactive map of Poitiers, plus hand-picked links to more
- Poitiers Hotels - check availability, maps, photos and reviews, and book at the guaranteed lowest price
- Poitiers Car Rentals - get the lowest rate by comparing multiple car companies at a glance
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of Notre-Dame-la-Grande. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Poitiers Map.
Article Sources
- Personal visit (July 14, 2008).
- The Collegiate church of NOTRE-DAME-LA-GRANDE Poitiers - French Ministry of Culture
- Peter Strafford, Romanesque Churches of France: A Traveller's Guide
(London: Giles de la Mare, 2005), 224-25.
- Rolf Toman, ed., Fiona Hulse, Ian Macmillan, trans. Romanesque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting (Ullman & Könemann, 2004), 153 and 257.
- Medieval Poitiers - Images of Medieval Art and Architecture
- Rough Guide to France 9 (April 2005).
- Darwin Porter, Frommer's France 2007 (October 2006).
Last updated on July 12, 2009.
