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A
(Partial) Visitor's Guide to Carolingian France and Carolingian Germany:
Home Page
(and
some maybes)
A
(Partial) Visitor's Guide to Carolingian France and Carolingian Germany:
Home Page
(and
some maybes)
There is not too much left in France above ground that is Carolingian in origin. More than a millennium of war, brigandage, weather and the ongoing quest for something newer have all taken their toll on the buildings put up by the Carolingians. There are wonderful exceptions, like Charlemagne’s tomb in Aachen, but that is not France. While there are exceptions, Carolingian remains are most common just below the ground level, in the crypts of churches spread throughout the country.
The height of the Carolingian empire ran from Charlemagne, who was crowned emperor in 800 to the death of his grandson Charles the Bald in 877. Carolingian rulers were in and out of power well into the 10th century, and the end of their rule was finally marked by election of Hugh Capet as king of France in 987. Sites dating to the 10th century are called Carolingian for our purposes. There are few enough of them that it is not worth the quibble.
These pages offers the modern traveler some guideposts along the road to finding what is still extant and accessible. I make no pretense that this is a complete list by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a start. The major source for the information present here is the series of Michelin “Guide Vertes,” or Green Guides to the regions of France, as well as information picked up on wanders through France.
Please let me know if you are aware of other locations that deserve to be mentioned. Likewise, if you're aware of images that will illustrate these sites, please let me know. Happy travels.
Beauvais
Chartres
Corbie
Jouarre
Laon
Paris
St. Denis
Sens
Soisson and St. Medard
Auxerre
Alise-Ste-Reine, Mont Auxois, St. leger-Vauban
Charlieu: Benedictine Abbey
Flavigny-sur-Ozerain: crypt of Ste-Reine
Fontenoy (Battle of)
Nevers: Cathedral of St.-Cyr-et-Ste-Juliette
Tournus
Vezelay
III:
Normandy and Brittany
Abbey of Jumieges
Mont St. Michel
IV:
The Loire, Touraine and Vicinity
Loire, Cote d'Atlantique,
Perigord
Autreche
Bilazais
Bonneval: Abbey de St. Floretin
Cravant-les-Coteaux
Germigny
des Pres
Gourgés
St.
Benoit-sur-Loire
Saint Generoux
St. Philbert de Grand Lieu
V: Aquitaine, Perigord
and South
Fenioux
Ligue and the Abbey of St. Martin
Limoges: crypt of the Abbey of St Martial
Melle and its Carolingian Silver Mines
Poitiers
Figeac
Marcilhac-sur-Cele
VI:
Alsace-Lorraine
Metz: Cathedral of St. Etienne
Metz Esplande: Church of St. Pierre aux Nonnains
VII
: Savoie, Provence and the Alps, including NW Italy
Allinges
Ganagobie
Grenoble: St. Laurent
Novalesa (It)
Quintal
Roquebrune
Sacra de St. Michele (It)
Le Bougret du Lac
Cambrey: Church of St. Pierre de Lemenc
IX:
Carolingian Germany
Aachen
Ingelheim
Lorsch
Michelstadt - Einhard basilica
