Abbaye de Saint-Philibert (Cloister)

The cloister of the Abbey of Saint-Philibert in Tournus is the quiet centre of the monastic buildings that stand beside the great Romanesque church, and it gives a sense of how the monks of this Benedictine abbey lived. The abbey is one of the oldest in Burgundy. It took its name from Saint Philibert, whose relics came to Tournus in the ninth century, after monks fled from the Viking raids on the Atlantic coast, and the community that grew up around the shrine followed the rule of Saint Benedict, with its balance of prayer, study and manual work. The church was rebuilt from the tenth century and the surrounding monastic buildings were added and altered over several centuries.

A cloister was the centre of monastic life. It is a covered walkway built around a square garden, which connected the church with the other buildings the community needed: the chapter house, where the monks met each day to hear a chapter of the Rule and to discuss business, the refectory, where they ate in silence while one of them read aloud, the dormitory and the cellars. In Tournus, the surviving buildings include the cloister, the chapter house, the refectory and the cellar, and together they make up one of the best-preserved complexes of its kind in the region. The galleries of the cloister are lined with arcades, and the open garden in the middle lets light and shadow play on the stone walls through the day, which makes the space a pleasure for photographers.

The church itself, next door, is a Romanesque masterpiece with an unusual nave covered by transverse barrel vaults, and it is described in more detail on its own page. Visitors can explore the nave, the crypt and the cloister together, with an audio guide available for hire. The church is closed during services, particularly on Sunday mornings, so plan a visit at another time. Facilities on the site include toilets and a shop.

Opening hours usually follow those of the church, from the morning to the late afternoon, though they may be shortened in winter, so check them in advance. A visit to the cloister takes about thirty minutes, and about one hour if you combine it with the church.

The cloister suits those who like quiet and contemplative places, lovers of Romanesque and medieval architecture and visitors travelling through Burgundy. The Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Tournus, the Pont de Tournus over the Saône and the Centre d'Art Contemporain are all within easy walking distance.