Marmoutier Abbey

The church of St. Symphorien was first mentioned by the Frankish king Charles the Bald (843-877) in 852. In the 11th century, the population increased, which made it necessary to build a larger church. Three parts were therefore built, which still exist today: the apse, the bay and the stone bell tower. The church underwent a major reconstruction in the Renaissance style in the 16th century. Until the 18th century, the church of St. Symphorien was always under the control of the abbey of Marmoutier.

The first construction was initiated in 340 by Saint Lidoire, the second Bishop of Tours. In 561, the church was destroyed by fire. Gregoire de Tours had it rebuilt from 570 onwards. In the 12th century, Bishop Hildebert de Lavardin (1125-1134) undertook the reconstruction. The operation was completed around 1150 but a fire damaged it heavily in 1167. A new reconstruction project was launched, but it was not until 1547 that the church was completely completed.

Saint-Martin de Tours is a Roman Catholic basilica in honour of Saint Martin. The present basilica was built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style according to a design by the architect Victor Laloux. Construction began in 1887 and the basilica was consecrated in 1925. The crypt contains the tomb of the saint. Until the time of Martin, bishop of Tours since 372, Tours was a Gallo-Roman city of medium importance. After his death in Candes in 397, the monks of Tours succeeded in seizing the body and bringing it back to their city. They buried it on the site where the Basilica of Saint Martin, one of the largest religious buildings in the West in the Middle Ages, was later built.