The small village of Germigny-des-Prés is home to a remarkable Carolingian oratory and the only Carolingian mosaic preserved in France.
Built in 806The oratory of Germigny-des-Prés is the work of Theodulf. A brilliant scholar, a poet steeped in classical culture, and a theologian of great merit, he was part of Charlemagne's learned circle. He had a luxurious villa built, of which only the oratory, the master's private chapel, remains. Today, it is one of the oldest churches in Francea rare example of the Carolingian architectural style.
This oratory has a Byzantine-inspired mosaic composed of 130,000 tesserae, unique in two ways in France. On the one hand, thanks to its remarkable preservation which the restoration has only slightly altered and on the other hand, for its atypical subject: the Ark of the Covenant, surmounted by two cherubs, framed by two archangels between which appears the hand of God.
It is said that these are children from the village who helped to recover the mosaic They played with "glass cubes" found in the church. In the 19th centurye In the 19th century, archaeologists were able to unearth this impressive 9th-century mosaic.e century. This is one of the oldest in France.
- Continue your exploration of the Loire Valley with the circuit The most beautiful castles and monuments of the Loiret which includes the Carolingian Oratory of Germigny-des-Prés.
