Construction of main assembly vers 1100 (≈ 1100)
Monolithic church and contemporary galleries of the Crusades.
XIIe siècle
Fire management
Fire management XIIe siècle (≈ 1250)
North and South Gallery transformed into graves.
2023
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 2023 (≈ 2023)
Protection of catacombs and associated elements.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The following parts of the catacombs, in total: the rotunda, the gallery of connection with the monolithic church, the western gallery, the cellar of house located at the end of the western gallery and the cubiculum, located: for the rotunda, in the bottoms of the plots section AP, n° 416 and n° 479; for the gallery of connection with the monolithic church, in the bottoms of the plot section AP, n° 416; for the western gallery and the cellar of house located at the end of it, in the bottoms of the plot section AP, n° 479; for the cubiculum, in the bottoms of the plots section AP, n° 464 and n° 479; as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree: classification by order of 6 July 2023
Key figures
Pierre Ier de Castillon - Viscount and likely sponsor
Inspired by the Holy Sepulcher after the Crusades.
Origin and history
The catacombs of Saint-Émilion are composed of two separate sets, linked late. The first, a western gallery, is a vestige of an ancient contemporary shrine of the Hermitage of Saint-Emilion. The second, dated about 1100, is contemporary of the monolithic church. This set would have been commissioned by Viscount Peter I of Castillon after his return from the Crusades, which would explain the architectural similarities with the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. It includes the rotunda (former exit of the catacombs), the north gallery connecting the monolithic church, and fire set up in the 12th and 14th centuries in the north and south galleries.
The monolithic church, associated with the catacombs, was the former parish church of Saint Emilion. A room was added to the western end of the site in modern times. The catacombs also include a cubiculum and a house cellar at the end of the western gallery. These elements, classified as Historic Monument in 2023, are distributed under private and communal plots. Their visit, organized by the Tourist Office, also includes the monolithic church, the Trinity Chapel and the Hermitage.
The location of the catacombs, under the place of the Monolithic Church, remains approximate (map precision estimated at 5/10). Their construction reflects both a religious use (sepultures, underground place of worship) and an influence of the architectural models reported from the Crusades. The analogies with Jerusalem, like the rotunda evoking the Holy Sepulchre, highlight their symbolic and historical dimension in the monumental landscape of Saint-Emilion.
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