Église Saint-Antoine

The Église Saint-Étienne of Nevers, now often called the Basilique Saint-Étienne, is a great Romanesque building. It was begun in 1063 and consecrated in 1097, a build of only a few decades, and for that reason it keeps a unity of style that is rare in medieval churches, which were usually altered over centuries. It was founded as a priory of the Benedictine monks of Cluny, which at that time were the most powerful monastic order in Europe, and it has the Cluniac character of order, clarity and fine stonework.

The church is built in a Burgundian Romanesque style, in pale stone, with a broad nave rising in three levels: large arches at the bottom, a gallery in the middle and windows at the top, covered by a tall barrel vault. Thick walls and sturdy columns carry the weight, and the interior feels solid and calm. At the east end, a semicircular ambulatory with small chapels radiating around the choir allowed pilgrims to walk around the altar to see relics without disturbing services, a plan typical of pilgrimage churches. The capitals of the columns are carved with plants and animals, and the overall effect is of restrained grandeur. Outside, the east end rises in a tiered cluster of apses and chapels, with a central tower, which can be seen from the street and gives a good idea of the way the building was assembled. A Bishop named Hugues de Champallement is linked to the consecration of the church at the end of the eleventh century.

Nevers has other major sights in the neighbourhood. The Palais des Ducs de Nevers, an early Renaissance château with a great stair turret, dominates the old town, and the Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte, with its two apses, stands beside it. The Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, a seventeenth-century church with a classical facade and painted illusions inside, and the Quai de la Loire, which gives views over the river, complete the walk. The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nevers shows the famous faience made in the town. Nevers is also known as the place where Saint Bernadette of Lourdes lived as a nun, and her body lies in a glass shrine in the convent chapel.

The church is usually open during the day, though times may vary, and entry is free. A visit takes about half an hour. It suits architecture lovers and anyone interested in the Cluny order. Check opening times and respect services.