Basilica of Saint Severinus, Bordeaux
A Romanesque church on a 4th-century Christian necropolis.
The Basilica of Saint Severinus in Bordeaux, also known as Basilique Saint-Seurin, was first erected around the year 1000. It is one of three major Bordeaux churches recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France," a designation granted in 1998.
The church stands on ground that was a Christian burial site as early as the 4th century. Evidence of this early Christian community includes the epitaph of Flavinus, carved onto a sarcophagus lid between 365 and 385 beneath a chrism symbol. This artifact was unearthed during an 1909 excavation of the necropolis and is now kept at the Museum of Aquitaine.
Tradition names the basilica after Saint Severinus, the city’s first bishop and patron saint. The story of the church’s founding begins with a religious community dedicated to Saint Severinus, though no abbey existed in the 4th century. According to Gregory of Tours, Severinus, who was born in the Levant, came to Bordeaux in that era and met Bishop Amandus. In a dream, the Lord told Amandus to go and meet his servant Severin; the two men recognized each other by name, embraced, and entered the church singing psalms. Severinus then became bishop. Another legend holds that Charlemagne placed Roland’s oliphant—the horn of his nephew who died at Roncevaux—on the basilica’s altar, filled with gold and coins. This relic was a draw for medieval pilgrims on the Way of Compostela, though it disappeared during the French Revolution.
While the founding legends are unverifiable, a religious building—likely a temple or oratory—did exist on the site by the mid-5th century. It was destroyed by Viking raids in the 9th century. The canons of the basilica began a major reconstruction in the early 11th century, creating a robust Romanesque church in basilical form. Pilgrims on the Santiago routes were led through the choir and down into the crypt. During this era, the basilica hosted investiture ceremonies for the Dukes of Aquitaine, conferring power over the County of Bordeaux.
The nave and choir were built between the 11th and 13th centuries. In the 13th century, the canons added a southern entry with a porch and a Renaissance-style belfry.
- Location
- Bordeaux, France
- Built
- dawn of the 11th century
- Type
- Basilica
- Unesco designation
- 1998
- Historic monument listing
- 1840
- Patron saint
- Saint Severinus
Lore & Background
The basilica is built upon a Christian necropolis dating to the 4th century. An epitaph of Flavinus, engraved on a sarcophagus lid between 365 and 385, testifies to early Christian presence. Named after the first bishop and patron saint of Bordeaux, the basilica's foundation legends include Saint Severinus meeting Bishop Amandus as recounted by Gregory of Tours, and the Oliphant of Roland being placed on the altar by Charlemagne, only to disappear during the French Revolution. The presence of an early religious building is attested to in the mid 5th century, but it disappeared in the 9th century due to Viking invasions. At the beginning of the 11th century, the canons commenced a major reconstruction, creating a robust Romanesque church in basilical form. During the 11th through 13th centuries the nave and choir were built, and a Gothic entrance with carved statues was added.
Reader's Guide
The Basilica of Saint Severinus is significant as a major stop on the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, where pilgrims could view the relic of Roland's Oliphant. It served as the scene of investiture ceremonies for the County of Bordeaux, especially by the Dukes of Aquitaine. The church's architecture spans Romanesque and Gothic styles, with later additions including a neo-Romanesque façade in the 19th century. Its archaeological crypt preserves one of the oldest Christian cemeteries in Bordeaux, with superimposed graves from the 4th to 13th centuries. The basilica was listed as a historic monument in 1840 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. Despite losing much of its medieval furnishings, it retains 15th-century alabaster altarpieces, an episcopal pulpit, and thirty-two choir stalls.
Did You Know?
- The epitaph of Flavinus, dating between 365 and 385, was extracted from the necropolis in 1909 and is now in the Museum of Aquitaine.
- The Oliphant of Roland was still in the basilica as late as the 17th century but disappeared before the French Revolution.
- In the 18th century, architect Jean-Baptiste Augier backfilled the floor by nearly three meters, burying the crypt.
- Every May 16, mothers led their sons to the grave of Saint Fort to get 'fortified'.
More in World Heritage Sites in France 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced