One of the oldest churches in France with its choir with Roman (around 400) and Merovingian (500-600) walls and its Romanesque nave.
The Merovingian church is itself built on the site of a Gallo-Roman temple. Remains of the walls of the sanctuary were discovered in 2011 and are now visible in the choir: they date from the 4th or 5th century. In the apse, a Christian stele from around the year 400 bears witness to the early presence of a Christian community.
The remains of a Roman baptistery and a cemetery adjoin the church, because in the Merovingian era there stood an important Christian sanctuary, dedicated to the worship of Saints Gervais and Protais. It is this important Christian site associated with relics of the two saints which very probably explains the large number of burials in the Merovingian period.
The rates
Group rate (guided tour of Civaux heritage) from 4€
Visit
Further information
Place de Gomelange
86320 CIVIL