Basilique Saint-Seurin

Lonely Planet review

Austere and imposing, the Basilique Saint-Seurin is an architectural treasure, classed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. The basilica's style is predominantly Romanesque, but many Gothic elements pertain - the result of successive additions to the structure over the centuries. Its history goes back as far as the beginning of Christendom in the 6th century.

On the western façade of the building, superb columns form two archways allowing access to the nave, whose beautiful Romanesque capitals date from the 12th-century. The southern portal recounts the Last Judgement, while, inside the basilica, the massive pillars in the nave have a striking countenance. To the left of the choir, the 15th-century Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Rose is a superb example of flamboyant Gothic ornamentation - of particular note are the fine sculptures and keystones. The crypt is the oldest part of the basilica, where you can admire some very beautiful Merovingian sarcophagi in marble.