Abbaye de Charroux

The Benedictine architecture brought us this magnificient abbey, located in Charroux, in the Poitou-Charente region.

Founded in 784 by Roger de Limoges, its church was rebuilt during the 11th century and became one of the greatest church in the Christendom. The wealth and the fame of the abbey came from the relics it owned. The first ones were brought back by Charlemagne. It was constituted of twelve pieces of the True Cross. The abbey was located on the way to Santiago de Compostela, which granted it an auspicious period until the the Hundred Years’ War.

Then, the abbey was ruined by the French War of Religion and destroyed during the French revolution. Today, it only remains the octagonal tower, also called the Charlemagne tower and you can admire many gothic sculputres of a great quality and great goldsmith’s art items in the chapter house.