Sainte-Eutrope Basilica
To honour the relics of Saint Eutropius of Saintes (3rd or 4th century), Benedictine monks founded a monastery in the 9th century and built a two-storey church. The church acquired its Gothic bell tower later in the 15th century (1478-1496). The Benedictine monastery being abolished in 1789, the building became a parish church.
About this building
The church was consecrated in the 11th century by Pope Urban II. It is dedicated to Saint Eutrope, the first evangelizer of the region whose tomb is located in the crypt. In 1186, a brief apostolic report by Pope Leo XIII called for the church to be erected as a minor basilica. The nave was destroyed in 1803. The current facade was built in 1831 by the architect Prévôt. Later, in 1844, the bell tower was restored by another architect named Clerget. A year later, the crypt was cleared because it had been filled several times before.