Collégiale Saint-Lazare d'Avallon
Rising above the old town on a granite spur, the 12th-century Collégiale Saint-Lazare is one of Burgundy's finest Romanesque churches — its twin doorways carved with swirling zodiac signs and biblical figures that still astonish after nine centuries. Step inside and the cool, dim nave feels like stepping into a living manuscript.
The Carved Doorways
The western façade features two staggered Romanesque portals whose archivolts are packed with apostles, angels and astrological medallions — a sculptural programme that rivals anything in Vézelay. Stand back to take in how the carvings catch the afternoon light filtering through the linden trees of the square.
The tympanum above the main door was damaged during the Revolution, yet what remains — elongated figures with flowing drapery — still conveys the extraordinary skill of the Burgundian workshops that carved them around 1170.
Interior & Treasury
Inside, the three-aisled nave is austere and powerful, lit by narrow Romanesque windows that keep the space refreshingly cool in summer. Look up at the carved capitals near the crossing: hunting scenes, acanthus leaves and fantastical beasts crowd every surface.
The small treasury holds polychrome wooden statues of the Virgin from the 13th and 14th centuries, rescued from surrounding villages during the Revolution. Ask the guardian to unlock it — it is rarely crowded and absolutely worth three minutes of your time.
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