saint-emilion monolithic church

这个地方需要导游带领才能去看，门票7.5欧元。分地下隐居室，小教堂，地下洞穴三个部分。英语讲解只有两场，法语讲解很快，我没有听懂。整个教堂实在一块大石头上刻出来的，满震撼。但不许照相。

If you love architecture then you'll enjoy this. Built between the 11th and 15th century the church has both romanesque and gothic styles and is built uniquely. The top has a nice lookout where you can see most of the city. We came here with a wine tour group and didn't expect to see any churches as part of the tour, but glad we did.

Certain days, the guide only speak in french. You can go on the tour but if your English speaking, they provide you with a paper full of highlights... Tour seemed to lag, as we would read faster than the guide spoke. She make no effort to make sure we understood or asked if we had questions

The Benedictine monks who were the inspiration for this church carved out of solid rock forming Europe’s largest monolithic cathedral should be canonized. This is truly an amazing building and one which must be seen to be believed. No photos allowed inside - but photos would not do it justice anyway.

a church built in the rock inside one of the nicest French medieval village, definitely a place to visit

The only way to visit the church is by a guided tour. You need to reserve when you get to the city. The church is carved in the mountain and it`s amaizing to think that this was all dug by hand. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures in the chirch itself. Even if you could it is simply too dark anyways. I would recommend this visit as it is really unique.

Wow - what a great church - carved underground and a special place. We had done and ample of cathedrals and churches & I really didn't want to see another church, but my wife really wanted to see it, so I begrudgedly went! Best move ever.NB: I think they only do one tour in English - get your tickets from the Office de Tourisme at the top of the town - best bet is to get it before lunch - I think the tour starts at 2pm - so get your tickets, tour the town a bit yourself (grab some lunch), then head back to the Office de Tourisme before the tour time.Photos not really recommended - but sneak some if you can.

A small village town we found by accident (and so glad we did). Walled town walking entry down to the church and town square where you can enjoy a relaxing meal in this picturesque setting. Lots of wines to taste and enjoy.

To see the Monolothic Church you must to do the Souterrain Tour. You can book at the Turisme Office. Its great tour, you go to the cave where St. Emilion stayed por 17 years. The tour does not take more than 1h and you cant take photos.

It is a 12th century church. Earlier all the churches were made of yellow Limestone which was soft and became porous with the ages. To make a more durable construction, monolithic church was cut out of rock This is Europe’s largest underground monolithic church, 25 ft long, 66 ft wide and 36 ft high and in the World Heritage list. The entry to the underground is under lock and key. We visited this by taking a “City tour with underground” from Tourist office at 11 am for 1 ½ hrs. It took 50 years to complete the construction. Later on, a Bell Tower of huge weight was added on top of the church The Bell Tower of Monolithic church is 68 m high and 196 steps to reach on top to have a panoramic city view. As a result, there was a possibility of collapsing the whole area. To prevent ,lot of steel structure and girders added to the column. This church faced lot of damage during Revolution and most of the arts/sculpture were stolen. During that time, they scraped the church walls to collect the saltpetre which was used as a base ingredient in gunpowder. Ceiceil showed us the drainage system also for this church.To see this underground gem, only way is to book a trip from Tourist Office- City Tour with underground. We booked it over the internet for 15 euro each and it was we three only. We enjoyed the underground heritage with the able guidance of guide Ceiceil. She was excellent, described all the history and it appeared we went on to 12th Century days.Photography at underground is not allowed. I added few photos from above ground to give some idea.

Nice church around an even nicer wine region! On a visit back in 2006 I had the opportunity to walk around the Church after a day in the surrounding vineyards and it was very nice to check out. Really detailed architecture.

We were in the area for the wine (why not) and did a tour one afternoon. The tour starts out to be very plain and we were expecting an average experience. But then we walked into the Church Proper and were just amazed. It tests the imagination to stand in wonder of how this church was carved out of limestone - its about half the size of a cricket ground and the ceiling is over 20 metres high - just amazing.And its still a working church (not all the time). Nothing short of spectacular. It has the feel of being inside a giant tomb (which it was once). the tower above the church (which is supported from inside is just as impressive.Definitely glad we went - however the walk down from the tourist office is steep and would not be for anyone less than able bodied. The tour ends on the Plaza and there are numerous cafes and wine merchants that are worth more time. It is truly a beautiful place

It was fascinating to see such an important and old monument so well-preserved. Very interesting tour.

The whole of St. Emilion is worth a stop or a stay, but the Monolithic Church is a must see. Carved from solid limestone in the early 12th century, the subterranean structure is at once both mysterious and awe inspiring. I'm not sure which image intrigues me more: the thought of 12th century humans hewing out this space from the solid rock, or the picture of worshippers filling the space, lit by candles, fragrant with incense, perhaps with a chant being intoned by the monks. Access is by organized tour only, but that is well worth doing.

We took the "Saint-Emilion Underground Tour" offered via the Tourist Office. We both thought it was just great. First, this church has been carved out of a solid piece of limestone underneath the city. I walked this street earlier in our visit but had not idea there was an underground church there let alone how big it was on the inside. Second, our tour guide, Agnus, was very informative, animated, spoke English very clearly, did a wonderful job of interacting with our group. I would think this short tour would be a "must do" for anyone spending more than one day in the area. Two things I should mention- 1) This is not a tour that will interest young children and 2) there are a lot of steps/walking on stones and uneven surfaces.