St. Mary's Abbey

Arles-sur-Tech, France

Arles-sur-Tech is best known for its abbey, which allegedly holds the relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen in a sarcophagus called Sainte Tombe, traditionally believed to have been brought from Rome 10th century. Its waters are traditionally believed to hold miraculous healing properties.

The Benedictine abbey of Sainte-Marie was founded in 778 and is the oldest Carolingian abbey in Catalonia. The main square contains the houses which were the first to be built around the abbey. The Abbey Sainte-Marie has a beautiful gothic cloister built in the 13th century and a large and impressive 18th century organ. Its most curious item though is a 4th century sarcophagus which once contained the relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen.

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Details

Founded: 778 AD
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Frankish kingdoms (France)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Tony Vickers (12 months ago)
Very relaxing pleasant space to wile away a couple of hours
DD J (13 months ago)
Perfekt, add to must visit
Bob Wells (4 years ago)
Extremely interesting interior, with most interesting 12th Century frescoes. Exterior is less interesting, but still nice.
Claude Cevasco (4 years ago)
Must see ! Beauty
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