{"id":3695,"date":"2022-02-22T16:30:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T15:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintemilion-unesco.com\/?page_id=3695"},"modified":"2022-02-23T10:46:34","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T09:46:34","slug":"saint-emilion-the-rock-carved-sanctuary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.saintemilion-unesco.com\/en\/20-years-20-sites\/saint-emilion-the-rock-carved-sanctuary\/","title":{"rendered":"Saint-Emilion \u2013 The rock-carved sanctuary"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Hero” _builder_version=”4.14.6″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(0,0,0,0.5)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” background_color_gradient_direction=”245deg” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/www.saintemilion-unesco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_9748.jpg” custom_padding=”260px||260px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”3.25″ width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”100%” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding=”70px|0px|70px|0px|true|false” make_fullwidth=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ background_position=”top_left” custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ background_position=”top_left” custom_padding=”|10%||10%” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.2″ title_font=”Oswald|700||on|||||” title_text_align=”left” title_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font_size=”60px” title_line_height=”1.3em” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_divider color=”#ed4441″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”3px” disabled_on=”on|on|off%22″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ max_width=”150px” height=”false” custom_margin=”30px|||” animation_direction=”top” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”Our Guides” _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”110px||0||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”60px||60px|” custom_padding_phone=”” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”0|0px|60px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.6″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.9em” global_colors_info=”{}”]This town was born in the rock, around the memory of a Breton hermit called Emilion who is believed to have arrived to live there in the middle of the 8th<\/sup><\/span> century. <\/p>\n

At the beginning of the second millennium this cult gave rise to a vast underground sanctuary which was gradually enlarged as the centuries went by. The \u201cMonolith\u201d, as it was nicknamed, was carved out it the 11th<\/sup><\/span> century, and represents the main part of this first monastery<\/strong>. Associated with this rock-carved church, the largest in Europe, is an astonishing Rotunda whose light shaft, around which runs a spiral staircase hewn out of the rock, opens out onto the plateau. With this strikingly atypical church and its Breton saint, Saint-Emilion at that time attracted a large number of pilgrims on their way to Santiago-de-Compostela. A commercial quarter soon developed around this first sanctuary, which despite the removal of the monastery to the plateau in the early 12th<\/sup><\/span> century with the construction of the Collegial Church, continued to grow.<\/p>\n

This is the period in which the bell tower was built above the church. It was originally of modest size with a number of arcades lightening the structure, but the Romanesque bell tower was increased in height at the end of the 15th<\/sup><\/span> century in flamboyant Gothic style. As it had not been designed to support such weight, it was reinforced in 1626 by the addiction of a huge corner buttress and the walls of its lower part were doubled in thickness. It became a veritable lighthouse in the middle of a sea of vineyards, and since then has been a stone colossus which, because of its weight, threatens the vaulted roof of the Monolith who pillars had to be reinforced and are now very carefully monitored.<\/p>\n

Finally, the sanctuary was completed in the 13th<\/sup><\/span> century with the Trinity Chapel, built above a burial crypt which, according to legend, was Emilion\u2019s hermitage.<\/p>\n

Apart from the commercial function suggested by its name, Market square was used as a parish cemetery until the Revolution and, frons the 1470\u2019s until 1902, as a square for the Saint-Emilion town hall, located first of all behind and then above the market hall which was rebuilt in the 17th<\/sup><\/span> century.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/www.saintemilion-unesco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/17-The-rock-carved-sanctuary.mp3″ title=”The rock-carved sanctuary” admin_label=”Audio” _builder_version=”4.14.6″ background_color=”#e23b6d” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Team Title” _builder_version=”4.14.6″ text_font=”||||” text_text_color=”#1a1a1a” header_font=”Oswald|on||on|” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”60px” header_line_height=”1.3em” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding=”|||” animation_direction=”top” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Find out more<\/h1>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#ed4441″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”3px” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”3.17.2″ max_width=”150px” module_alignment=”center” height=”false” custom_margin=”30px|||” animation_direction=”top” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”] [\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ admin_label=”Ligne” _builder_version=”3.25″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.saintemilion-unesco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/17-Saint-Emilion-Place-du-marchC\u0327-Catacombe-@Franck-Haudiquert.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.saintemilion-unesco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/SaintEmilion-NuitPatrimoine2017-21.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”Our Guides” _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”110px||0||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”60px||60px|” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.14.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

View the reading tables on the Jurisdiction map :<\/h2>\n

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