Saint-Savin Abbey

The nave of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is roofed by a continuous barrel vault, and around 1100 painters covered it with scenes from Genesis and Exodus, running the story from the Creation through Noah, Babel, Abraham and Joseph across some four hundred and twelve square metres. The scale and completeness make it the largest surviving Romanesque wall painting cycle in France, and UNESCO listed it in 1983. More painting survives in the crypt, the porch and the tribune. The colours are limited, ochres, reds and greens over a pale ground, and the figures are elongated and in motion. Mirrors on trolleys are provided so visitors can look up without straining.

What you actually see

• The nave vault - about 412 square metres of Genesis and Exodus scenes.
• The crypt paintings - a further cycle on the life of Saints Savin and Cyprien.
• The porch and tribune - Apocalypse and Passion scenes in other spaces.
• The viewing mirrors - trolleys for reading the vault without neck strain.

When to go

April to October; the abbey opens year-round with shorter winter hours. Light inside is deliberately controlled to protect the pigments, so a bright day helps little.

Honest expectations

The paintings are high up and faded in places, and appreciating them takes time and the mirrors. The village is very small. It is a long drive from Poitiers for one building.

Nearby

Poitiers lies west; Angles-sur-l'Anglin is south.