Basilique St-Michel

The Basilique St-Michel is another gothic architectural masterpiece of the Middle Ages that survives to this day. For some people, this church is even more imposing than the main Cathedral. That is certainly true in terms of height since this Basilica is the tallest church in southern France. The 114 meters high bell tower offers a great view over the city & the wonderful Pont de Pierre & the Garonne River. The Basilica is adorned with a wonderful altarpiece depicting the triumph of St. Michael, its patron saint, over the dragon & some fine stained glass.

The history of Saint Michael begins in the middle of the 8th century. A chapel dedicated to the Archangel Saint Michael is built on a small hillock, outside the city, about a hundred meters from the river. The current Church is built from the 14th to the 17th century in a flamboyant Gothic style and is still the largest of the parish churches in Bordeaux.

A source of pride for Bordeaux, the Saint-Michel freestanding bell tower, which the people of Bordeaux call “La Flèche” (The Spire), is 114 metres high and soars slim and light toward the sky. Unusually, and like the city’s Saint-André cathedral, this is freestanding and located alongside, rather than on top of the church. The bell tower was built in the 15th century on an ancient burial ground.

Mummies found in a nearby cemetery were exhibited there to the public in the late 18th century. Their shrivelled faces haunted the Saint Michel crypt for many years. There were nearly 70 mummies, and they attracted thousands of visitors, including such famous authors as Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Théophile Gautier, and more recently, Ferdinand Céline. Some of them were given names: “Buried Alive”, “The Family Poisoned by Mushrooms”, “The African”, “The General Killed in a Duel”, etc.

The macabre display ended in 1990. An audio-visual presentation now recounts the history of this exhibition that is still remembered by many Bordelais. Saint Michel belltower and its crypt are open every day of the week during the tourist season.

This amazing Church is listed as a designated national heritage site of France and it is also a World Heritage Site as a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Camino de Santiago de Compostella route. Its high bell tower stood as a beacon for the pilgrims coming from all over Europe on their way to fulfill their long journey. More