Church of Sainte-Croix

Saint-Lô, France

The abbey church of Sainte-Croix is, according to the tradition, the heir of a chapel built here by St. Helena in the 4th century and of an abbey founded by Charlemagne. Better documented is the creation of an Augustinian abbey by Algar, the new bishop of Coutances (formerly the prior of Bodmin Priory, Cornwall) in 1132. The Romanesque church was consecrated in 1202, being largely remade in the following centuries with successive renovations. The choir was remade in the 16th century while the bell tower is from 1860 to 1863.

During World War II, the bell tower (located laterally) collapsed and it was on its ruins where the body of Major Howie was placed; a new bell tower was rebuilt in 1957 on the forecourt in a modern style. On the church square stands the departmental monument in memory of the victims of the wars of Algeria and Indochina, opened in 2005.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Place Sainte-Croix 4, Saint-Lô, France

See all sites in Saint-Lô

Details

Founded: 1202
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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Sainte-Mère-Église Church (36,6 km)
Utah Beach Museum (33,9 km)
Airborne Museum (36,5 km)
American Cemetery and Memorial (31,7 km)
Museum of Bayeux Tapestry (33 km)

User Reviews

Lydia (9 months ago)
We listened to a concert there and were thrilled. Acoustics were great for us. The chairs are for narrow people, thicker people cuddle together. From the inside the church is very clear, not playful, has a great window picture, which offers great light effects with the sun.

Angélique (14 months ago)
A very beautiful church ?

Louis Lesellier (16 months ago)
Large, very pretty church.

Tom Parker (2 years ago)
The Eglise Sainte-Croix is located in the city of St. Lo which was 95% destroyed, leveled to a pile of rubble by the intense bombing of the city just after D-Day. The cathedral sustained bomb damage but survived the carnage. There is still an old (defused) bomb casing embedded in the church. It's quite something to see.

Olivier Martin (2 years ago)
Nice setting for this performance hall but the sound is not good at all. Acoustically it still works but the sound system is rubbish, we don't understand anything. No sanitary facilities.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

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