Saint-Pierre-les-Églises

I did not stop in Chauvigny, as I had been there a couple of times before, and continued to the near village of Saint-Pierre-les-Églises, to see the pre-Romanesque church. The church is surrounded by a graveyard, that is obviously used since Merovingian times.

A settlement was established here already in Roman times, as the road from Poitiers (Lemonum) to Bourges (Avaricum) crossed the river Vienne here.

The church is known for its frescoes, that may be the oldest in Western Europe. A carbon-14 dating prooved that the painting were created between 780 and 980.

Unfortunately the church as locked - so I will come back later..

Here are some photos:

www.art-roman.net/st-p-des-eglises/st-p-des-eglises.htm