Basilique Saint-Étienne

The Basilique Saint-Étienne stands in Nevers, in the Nièvre, and it is one of the finest Romanesque churches in France. It was built in a single campaign between 1063 and 1097, at a time when the monks of Cluny were spreading their reforms across Europe. The founder, Count William I of Nevers, handed over an earlier church to Benedictine monks of the Cluny order, replacing the secular clergy who had served there, and the monks began a complete rebuilding in the new style. Because the work was carried out in only a few decades, the church has a unity of design that sets it apart from buildings altered over several centuries.

The nineteenth-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc admired the church, and a famous remark credited to him calls it among the most perfect Romanesque churches, which is a judgment shared by many specialists. The church has been protected as a historic monument since the 1840s, among the first in France to receive such protection. Its qualities are clarity, proportion and strength. The plan is a Latin cross, with a long nave, a transept and a choir surrounded by an ambulatory, from which small chapels radiate. The ambulatory was designed so that pilgrims could process around the altar and view relics without interrupting services.

Standing inside, the visitor sees the nave rising in three storeys: round arches at the bottom, a gallery above and windows high up, all covered by a barrel vault, which gives a feeling of order and calm. The stone is pale and the capitals are carved with plants and figures, in a simple, assured style. Outside, the east end is the most beautiful view, with the chapels and apses stepping up toward a central tower, and a walk around the church shows how the volumes fit together. The surrounding streets are quiet, and the church sits at the edge of the old town.

Nevers has plenty more to see. The Palais des Ducs de Nevers, a Renaissance château, is a short walk away, and the Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte, the Porte du Croux, the Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, the Quai de la Loire and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nevers, known for its faience, fill a day. Nevers is also home to the body of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, which lies in the convent chapel. The town is a good base for visiting the Burgundian countryside.

A visit takes half an hour to an hour, and entry is generally free. It suits architecture lovers and those interested in monastic history. Hours vary by season, so check locally.