Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande, Poitiers 
Evening view of Notre-Dame-la-Grande. Photo © Paradoxplace.com.
See all photos in our Notre-Dame-la-Grande Photo Gallery.
The magnificent Romanesque west facade. Photo © Paradoxplace.com.
Closer look at the three tiers of the facade. Photo © Jaufré Rudel.
Central portal. Photo © Jaufré Rudel.
Carving of the Visitation (Elizabeth and Mary). Photo © Jaufré Rudel.
Medallion of Christ on the top tier. Photo © Paradoxplace.com.
Choir of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, with frescoes. Photo © Jaufré Rudel.
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. Most of the present Notre-Dame-la-Grande dates from the late 11th century under Eleanor of Aquitaine; the splendid Romanesque facade was added in the mid-12th century.
In subsequent centuries the church was expanded to the west, with new chapels added around the choir and north of the nave. The church is not particularly large, so the name probably indicates there were smaller or less impressive churches dedicated to Our Lady in medieval Poitiers.
Every Easter Monday in the Middle Ages, a statue of the Virgin Mary known as the Virgin of the Keys was carried in procession around the ramparts of the town. This venerated statue still survives today, 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 c.1150 west front of Notre-Dame-la-Grande is one of the finest Romanesque facades in France. It is flanked by turrets topped with pinecone-shaped domes, which, along with the rich sculpture, are the hallmarks of Poitou Romanesque architecture.
The imagery of the west front is divided into three tiers. The bottom tier tells the story of Jesus from right to left. The storyline, known as The Drama of the Prophets, is based on a fifth-century sermon. From left, the carvings depict the following:
- Adam and Eve commit the original sin under the Tree of Knowledge;
- King Nebuchadnezzar seated on a throne;
- Jesus is announced by the prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Moses (sitting over the left portal);
- the Annunciation, in which the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary;
- Tree of Jesse (the ancestry of Christ from David's father Jesse), shown as a tree with birds growing out of Jesse's head;
- an endearing Visitation scene, in which Mary places her hand familiarly on Elizabeth's pregnant belly as she greets her cousin with a kiss;
- the Virgin lies on a bed and rocks Jesus in a cradle, while two sheep poke their heads in;
- Jesus gets his first bath in a tub while Joseph looks on;
- Peace and Justice join in a cautious embrace.
Above and below this central relief on the bottom tier is a jumbled array of carved characters, creatures and foliage.
In the middle tier, the word of God is spread by the Twelve Apostles and two local bishop-saints: Hilary and Martin. Only a few apostles still have distinguishable faces, one of which is Peter, who holds 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 carvings in the portals and blind arches at eye-level, too - look for a woman sitting with her hair blowing in the wind in the blind arch to the right of the door.
The barrel-vaulted interior features carved capitals in the choir and a 12th-century fresco on the choir vaulting. The rest of the frescoes are 19th-century.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande; Notre-Dame-la-Grande de Poitiers; Church of Our Lady the Great |
| Type of site: | Collegiate church |
| Faith: | Roman Catholic |
| Status: | Active |
| Dates: | 11th-12th centuries |
| Architecture: | Romanesque |
| Location: | Place Charles-de-Gaulle, Poitiers, France |
| Phone: | 05-49-41-22-56 |
| Hours: | Daily 8:30am-7pm |
| Cost: | Free |
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 or get our free Google Earth download.
Sources
- Rough Guide to France 9 (April 2005).
- Darwin Porter, Frommer's France 2007 (October 2006).
- Notre-Dame-la-Grande - French Ministry of Culture
- Notre-Dame-la-Grande - Planetware
