Basilica of Saint-Romain

The Basilica of Saint-Romain in Blaye was an important Merovingian basilica, the resting-place of Charibert II, a son of Clotaire II who was briefly king of Aquitaine from 629 to his death in 632, and of his son. According to the 12th-century Chanson de Roland contained the body and relics of the Carolingian folk-hero Roland, who was a seigneur of Blaye in the eighth century.

The nominal patron of the basilica, belonging to the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine, remained the local 4th-century martyr Saint Romanus of Blaye; here the pilgrims bound for Santiago de Compostela paused before taking to boats to cross to Bordeaux.

In 848, the fort and its surrounding habitations were laid waste by the Viking chief Hasting.

Some vestiges of the structure remain within the Vauban fortress at Blaye, which formed part of the traditional defenses of the Gironde estuary.

Address
Blaye, France

Established
7th century AD