AUXERRE

. Situated on the left bank of the Yonne, medieval Auxerre (Yonne) grew from the Roman Autessiodurum, founded on the site of the Gallic settlement of Autricum. Sources on early Christian activity mention the martyrdom of Priscus (late 3rd c.) and the establishment of early church leadership under Peregrinus and Germain (418-48). One of the seven cities of the civil province Lugdunensis Quarta in 400, Auxerre and its see came under Frankish control in the 6th century. The episcopal domain, established by 700 and restored in the 10th century, changed hands a number of times before being reunited to France under Charles V in 1370. In the Middle Ages, the Benedictine abbey at Auxerre was celebrated for its schools, founded in the 11th century. In the late Middle Ages, the flourishing religious communities in Auxerre began to decline, due largely to the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of Religion. However, much of the medieval fabic of the city remains.

With its asymmetrical west front of one bulky tower and series of blind canopies, the former cathedral of Saint-Etienne dominates the city. Its 11th-century painted crypt is 40 feet wide and divided into a nave and two side aisles

Auxerre (Yonne), Saint-Etienne, chevet section. After King.

By two rows of early compound piers. In the upper church, with its three-story elevation, the 13th-century Gothic choir has quadripartite rib vaulting, with sexpartite vaults in the nave. The base of the west portals (ca. 1285-1385) carry Old Testament and other scenes in relief, framed by quatrefoils and trefoils. The painted vaults of the crypt, dated to ca. 1100, feature Christ and angels on horseback and were probably executed under Bishop Humbaut. Stained glass from the 13th-16th centuries can be found in the east end. The treasury features medieval enamels, manuscripts, and miniatures.

Built from the 12th century to the 16th, the church of Saint-Eusebius has a Romanesque nave, but little else remains from the medieval period. In contrast, much of the abbey church of Saint-Germain survives. Founded in the early 6th century, the abbey initially consisted of a basilica with a number of tombs in an above-ground crypt built beyond the east end. Royal patronage financed much of the early construction. Conrad, uncle of Charles II the Bald, ordered a wax model of the basilica to ensure the outcome of his funds before building took place. The abbey church originally had a bell tower in front of the church, three parallel apses, cruciform piers, and a tower-framed fagade. The abbey church has a 9th-century crypt with Carolingian frescoes and an upper church with a 13th-century choir and 15th-century nave.

Stacy L. Boldrick

Denny, Don. “A Romanesque Fresco in Auxerre Cathedral.” Gesta 25(1986):197-202.

Louis, Rene. Autessiodurum christianum: les eglises d’Auxerre des origines au Xle siecle. Paris: Clavreuil, 1952.

Vallery-Radot, Jean, Marcel Aubert, Paul Deschamps, and Jean Lafond. “Auxerre.” Congres archeologique 116(1958):26-96.