Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Saturnin church of Moulis-en-Médoc, located in Gironde (New Aquitaine), is a Romanesque monument from the 12th to the 14th centuries. It rises on a paleo-Christian site and was first cited in 1268 in the Recognitiones feodorum in Aquitania, administrative texts of the Duke of Aquitaine, then king of England. Ranked in 1846, it embodies a medieval architectural heritage marked by oriental influences in its capitals.

Originally, the church included a single nave and a transept surmounted by a tower, with an apse and two apsidioles. The lower sides, added in the 13th century, were vaulted in 1862, while the bell tower, modified in Gothic times, lost its southern apsidiole to a propeller staircase. Major restorations took place in 1844 (by Durand) and in 1850–52 (by Courau), preserving his adorned bedside, witness to the stylistic evolutions between Roman and Gothic.

The monument also reflects the 19th-century changes, such as the false vaults of the lower side or the 14th-century western façade. Its early ranking (1846) underscores its heritage importance, linked to its Aquitaine feudal history and its religious role in the Médoc. The interior sculptures, with Oriental accents, and medieval archives make it a key site for understanding regional Romanesque art.

External links