Abbaye de Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe

Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe lies in the Vienne department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its abbey has Carolingian origins, while the surviving church was rebuilt in the eleventh century. The principal distinction is its extensive mural decoration, executed in the late eleventh or early twelfth century. Biblical scenes extend across the nave’s barrel vault and other parts of the building, making painting integral to its architecture. UNESCO recognises both the artistic achievement and the evidence these images provide for medieval teaching and religious thought. The site entered the World Heritage List in 1983. The Gothic spire dates from the fourteenth century and was reconstructed in the nineteenth; adjoining monastic buildings were rebuilt in the seventeenth century after destruction during the religious wars. The present ensemble therefore combines Romanesque painting and structure with later additions and restoration.