Ghosts, Demons & Underground Churches: Exploring Saint-Émilion ⛪🇫🇷
During my recent cruise gig to France, I was lucky enough to go on a cultural adventure in Saint-Émilion, a medieval town I’ve talked about in lectures for years but had never actually visited.
Famous for its wine – like everywhere in the Bordeaux region – it’s a rabbit warren of winding streets and steep alleyways, and despite its size I still managed to get spectacularly lost more than once. I blame the sweltering heat – it was at least 37°C.
My main reason for visiting was the Monolithic Church, but before getting there I stumbled across an unexpected highlight in the cloister of the Collegiate Church, part of the UNESCO-listed landscape of Saint-Émilion.
Stretching across one side of the courtyard is The Apocalypse of Saint-Émilion (2018), a vast mural by local artist François Peltier inspired by the Book of Revelation. But you wouldn’t know that at first glance.
More like something from Tolkien or The Mabinogion, it’s packed with strange creatures, dark figures and battles between light and darkness. The longer you stare at it, the more emerges – demons, ghosts, a giant sea monster…
I could easily have spent a day with it – especially as it was in the shade – but the Monolithic Church was the place I had really come to see.
Carved directly into limestone beneath the town in the 11th-12th centuries, it’s one of the largest underground churches in Europe and has a reputation for being surreal and disorientating.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t find it quite as mind-bending as expected, but it’s still an extraordinary place and unlike anywhere else I’ve been.
It’s also very difficult to capture in photos – plus I was told off for taking them – hence they aren’t the best quality. Thankfully I did manage to capture video before being asked to stop, so vlog coming soon.
Until next time… nos da!
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