Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well how about that I have written several posts on the wines of the region of Bordeaux but not much on its monuments! sacre bleu!!! This is one of my favorite cities in my belle France , and we have spent several family trips here over the years.   Bordeaux is in the Gironde dept 33 of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France and I like to tell you a bit on the Basilica Saint Michel of Bordeaux !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Basilica of Saint-Michel is one of the main Catholic places of worship in the city of Bordeaux. Built from the 14C to the 16C, it is characteristic of the flamboyant Gothic style. The church gave its name to the neighbourhood in which it is located.  The basilica shares with Saint-André Cathedral (see posts) the particularity of having a bell tower 15C independent of the sanctuary or campanile. Rising to a height of 114 meters (378 feet), it is the highest in the South of France and the second tallest in France. 

In 1466, a college of canons was installed in the church, still under construction. The latter becomes an important stage on the way to Saint-James of Compostela, as evidenced by the Saint-James Chapel. In 1791, the departmental directory ordered the removal of the old parish cemetery surrounding the church, the current Place Meynard. The bones are piled up in the crypt located under the bell tower, then covered with earth. It was during this work that dozens of mummified bodies were discovered, the “mummies of Saint Michael”. The latter are placed in the crypt, which is open to visitors until 1979. On this date, the bodies are again buried, this time in the Chartreuse cemetery.

The Basilica of Saint Michel measures 75 meters long from the Choir at the entrance to the nave and 38 meters wide from one cross to the other, the basilica is one of the largest places of worship in Bordeaux.

Here, curiously, its spire tower was built in the 15C on an old mass grave where were installed at the end of the 18C mummies exhumed from the cemetery formerly located around it. With their tense figures, these dry bodies will haunt the Saint-Michel Crypt for a long time. Thus these mummies (they were nearly 70) attracted thousands of visitors including some famous writers like, Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Théophile Gautier or closer to us Ferdinand Céline. You could see “L’Enterré Vivant” (the living buried), “the family poisoned by mushrooms”, “L’africaine” (the African), a general killed in a duel, etc. This macabre round ended in 1990. Today an audiovisual reconstructs the origins of this exhibition of which many Bordeaux residents have kept a memory. The spire tower of Saint-Michel and its Crypt are open every day in season.

I found me an older picture in my cd rom vault that should be better here for you and me for my memories of always.  

The city of Bordeaux on the Basilica: https://www.bordeaux.fr/l964/basilique-st-michel

The Bordeaux tourist office on the Basilica: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/basilique-saint-michel.html

The Bordeaux tourist office on the arrow tower of the Basilica: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/fleche-saint-michel.html

There you go folks , another wonderful monument of my belle France in a splendid city like Bordeaux where the sights mix well with the smells…. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Basilica Saint Michel of Bordeaux !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!