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Origin and history

Saint Vincent de Xaintes Church is a Catholic church in Dax, Landes. In a neo-classical style, it was built in 1893 on the site of a 11th century basilica, which was erected on a Gallo-Roman temple. The present building preserves an 11th century chrism in its tympanum, as well as a mosaic of the 2nd century, likely remains of a Roman villa of the Lower Empire. These elements testify to the historical stratification of the site, mixing ancient, medieval and modern heritages.

The church bears the name of Vincent de Xaints, the first bishop of Dax, martyred according to tradition in this place between the third and fourth centuries. His life is illustrated by the central stained glass windows of the sanctuary. Owned by the commune, it depends on the parish of Saint-Paul-Saint-Vincent-de-Dax and the diocese of Aire and Dax. Nearby, Gambetta Street houses the former Dominican convent, formerly occupied by the Clarisses in the 16th century.

The site was once the heart of the commune of Saint Vincent, integrated in Dax in 1861. The church, registered in the general inventory of cultural heritage, thus embodies nearly two millennia of local religious and architectural history, from Gallo-Roman times to the contemporary era.

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