At the beginning of the 12th century, the underground church of Saint-Jean d'Aubeterre-sur-Dronne was carved entirely out of rock beneath the old feudal castle, following a Romanesque design.
It was the work of the Benedictines, disciples of Saint-Maur. It was designed to house a piece of the cross brought back from the Crusades by the lord of the castle, then served as a saltpetre factory during the Revolution and as a cemetery until 1865.
Its proportions were exceptional, with a height of 20m, a length of 31m, and a width of 11m.
Unique in Europe, it houses a 6m-high stone reliquary, a jewel of Romanesque art, whose shape was inspired by that of the Holy Sepulcher discovered in Jerusalem during the First Crusade. The initiative came from Pierre de Castillon, Viscount of Aubeterre, who had this monolithic church enlarged on his return from the Crusades to house relics, along with that of Saint-Émilion.
It also houses a reliquary containing pieces of the Holy Cross brought back from the Crusades by Pierre Castillon, an early Christian baptismal font decorated with a Greek cross, a crypt dating from before the Christian era, a necropolis with 80 medieval sarcophagi and 170 rock tombs, and a surprising 18-meter-high accessible gallery.
This church was listed as a Historic Monument in 1912.
Saint-Jean Underground Church
21, Rue Saint-Jean
16390 Aubeterre-sur-Dronne
Tel.: +33 (0)5 45 98 65 06
eglisemonolithe.aubeterre-sur-dronne@orange.fr
http://www.aubeterresurdronne.com
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