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Origin and history

Saint-Saturnin, located in the Vienna district of Blois, is an ancient cemetery built in the early 16th century (1515-1516) during the reign of Francis I. Acquired by the churchmen of the parish Saint-Saturnin to compensate for the saturation of the existing cemetery, it reflects the reborn influence with its covered galleries and its central space dedicated to the decomposition of the deceased. The emblem of the salamander, symbol of the king, still adorns its walls. Designed as a garden of the dead, it housed ossuary under its arcades, according to a late medieval tradition.

As soon as the Revolution began, it was abandoned in favour of a new distant cemetery, in accordance with the hygienist theories of the 18th century. In 1807, the municipality of Blois, led by Mayor Jean-Marie Parsurs, inaugurated the current cemetery of Blois-Vienne. The old site, disused, is purchased by the Vienna General Hospital to install a laundry dryer. This change of use partially preserves its structure, avoiding invasive restorations before its classification as a historical monument in 1886.

In the 20th century, Dr. Frédéric Lesueur, curator of the municipal museum, played a key role in safeguarding the monument. His book The Cemetery of Saint-Saturnin in Blois (1923) emphasizes its architectural value and pushes the city to acquire it in the same year. From 1923 to 1934, Lesueur fought to make it a lapidary museum, now home to nearly 550 fragments of historic buildings, including remnants of the 1940 bombings. After decades of neglect, a complete restoration was launched in 2023 for a reopening scheduled for 2026.

Architecturally, it forms an irregular quadrilateral surrounded by covered galleries, without upper floor unlike traditional mass graves. The bones were stored directly under the arcades, a local feature. The central space, formerly dedicated to the decomposition of bodies, has never been the subject of archaeological excavations. The site, owned by the municipality, is occasionally opened to the public by the city and the association of the Friends of Old Blois.

Ranked a historic monument in 1886, the Saint-Saturnin building illustrates the evolution of funeral practices, from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, as well as the challenges of preserving heritage. Its lapidary museum preserves unique elements, bearing witness to the destruction of the Second World War and the urban history of Blois.

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