Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe Attractions

The little town of St Savin (pop. 1,020), on the left bank of the Gartempe, has an 11th C. abbey church with what are surely the finest 12th C. Romanesque wall paintings in France. The most remarkable are those on the vaulting of the nave, covering an area of 412 sq. m/4435 sq. ft at a height of 15 m/50ft above the ground and illustrating the Biblical story from the Creation onwards, and those in the crypt. There is a fine view of the church from the Pont-Vieux, the old bridge over the Gartempe.