Eglise Saint-Pierre
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Pierre, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8398, -0.5702
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083173
In the heart of the old town of Bordeaux, Saint-Pierre church unfurls its flamboyant Gothic lacework between the Garonne and the bustling square, witness to five centuries of sacred architecture and urban life in Bordeaux.
History
Nestling in the historic Place Saint-Pierre district, just a stone's throw from the quays of the Garonne and the bustle of the old town, Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre church is one of those discreet monuments that hold surprises of the highest order in store for the discerning visitor. Far from the overwhelming fame of Saint-André cathedral or Saint-Michel basilica, it offers a rare intimacy, an almost medieval atmosphere that the centuries have not entirely erased. What makes Saint-Pierre truly unique is the legible superimposition of its historical layers: the 14th-century foundations, the flamboyant Gothic surges of the 15th century and the serious restorations of the Second Empire all coexist in an astonishing coherence. The west facade, sculpted with pinnacles and finely worked infills, is a marvellous illustration of Bordeaux's taste for a late Gothic style that was both solemn and ornamental. The interior reveals a slender nave bathed in subdued light, perfect for contemplating the sculpted details: historiated capitals, armorial keystones, fragments of ancient stained glass mixed with 19th-century windows. Each column tells the story of a stratum of Bordeaux devotion, from the merchants of the Middle Ages to the bourgeoisie of Viollet-le-Duc's time. The outside setting is itself an invitation: Place Saint-Pierre, with its shaded terraces and classical facades, forms a remarkably coherent urban ensemble with the church. Photographers and lovers of architecture will find the play of morning light on the western portal a sight that the locals themselves sometimes forget to appreciate to the full.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Pierre belongs to the southern Gothic movement, with inflections specific to the Bordeaux workshop of the 14th and 15th centuries. Its floor plan, probably a single nave or three naves with little difference in height, reflects the tradition of the preaching churches of the south-west, where the visibility of the altar takes precedence over the symbolic verticality of the cathedrals of the north. The load-bearing walls, built in the golden limestone characteristic of the Bordeaux region - quarried in the Entre-Deux-Mers region - give the building the warm, luminous hue common to the whole of Bordeaux's urban heritage. The western façade is Saint-Pierre's crowning glory. Articulated around a richly sculpted pointed-arch portal, it displays a flamboyant vocabulary of high quality craftsmanship: bellows and mullioned infills, an openwork gable and bracketed pinnacles framing the tympanum. The projecting, rhythmic buttresses give structure to the composition, rising to form the terminal pyramids characteristic of 15th-century late Gothic. Inside, the work carried out in the 19th century has left a visible mark on the treatment of the ribbed vaults and the historiated stained glass windows, commissioned from workshops specialising in neo-Gothic restoration. Some authentic medieval features remain, however - capitals sculpted with stylised foliage, keystones with coats of arms, fragments of stone - which bear witness to the original quality of the Gothic work and the devotion of the parish's merchant patrons.
Related Figures
Charles VII — roi de France dont l'entrée dans Bordeaux en 1453 inaugura une ère nouvelle pour les paroisses de la villeMichel de Montaigne — maire de Bordeaux (1581-1585), paroissien potentiel du quartier et figure tutélaire de la vie intellectuelle bordelaiseBertrand de Got (pape Clément V) — archevêque de Bordeaux avant son élection pontificale, promoteur de l'architecture religieuse girondine au début du XIVe siècleViollet-le-Duc (école de) — dont les principes de restauration inspirèrent directement les travaux de la seconde moitié du XIXe siècleLes guildes marchandes bordelaises — commanditaires laïcs des agrandissements gothiques du XVe siècle, dont les armes figurent sur les clefs de voûte
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Pierre located?
Eglise Saint-Pierre is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Pierre built?
Eglise Saint-Pierre dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Pierre open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Pierre is currently closed to visitors.