Basilique St-Julien, Brioude

Basilique St-Julien, Brioude

Link to Maps of the Pilgrimage Roads of France

Brioude's Basilique St-Julien is the largest Romanesque church in the Auvergne. It was built in the 10 - 1100s to house the tomb of Roman soldier martyr St-Julien and the large number of pilgrims this attracted, with the nave roof vaulting added a century or so later. It's a warm feeling, well proportioned and interesting space - perhaps made more so by its bleak featureless external surroundings and the gloomy nothingness of the le Puy Cathedral to the south - and it's packed with fine Romanesque capital and fresco art.

Basilique St-Julien nave, looking east

La Chapelle St-Michel

Keystone to the arch under La Chapelle St-Michel leading from the church to the narthex.

Commentary on this and other interesting capitals in the Basilica St-Julien by Anthony Weir

Many many more really good photos at romanes.com

art-roman.net has a good set of photos of the frescos and some capitals

Detail from a Last Judgement fresco in the Chapelle St-Michel, from "The Roads to Santiago" published by MSM

Link to Paradoxplace French Medieval Pilgrims' Roads

Our original reason for going to the Basilique St-Julien was to see the frescoed Chapelle St-Michel, having had our appetite whetted by the detail pictured above right.

Alas the chapel is on the southern part of a large high Spanish style gallery at the west end of the church, and the door to the stairs was locked with a notice that the chapel was "actuellment fermee aux visites" - though more optimistically it went on to say that actuellment la cle could be obtained from the office of tourism.

Sadly, being a Sunday afternoon (the time one would most expect visitors), the office of tourism - along with what little else lives around the church - was very definitely not open for business. Here are some glimpses of what might have been, seen from the south aisle looking up westwards into the chapel ...

The column ensemble is a fascinating example of the good side of what we have termed western French church "decorator art" - a mixture of clever abstract designs, painted figures and a capital with winged loin-clothed acrobats. And at the base, painted curtains (why?).