Basilica of Saint-Romain
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The Basilica of Saint-Romain, Blaye, was an important Merovingian basilica
, the resting-place of Charibert II
, a son of Clotaire II
who was briefly king of Aquitaine from 629 to his death in 632, and of his son. According to the 12th-century Chanson de Roland contained the body and relics of the Carolingian
folk-hero Roland
, who was a seigneur of Blaye in the eighth century, and of his companions Olivier and Turpin, deposited with grand solemnity in white marble sarcophagi. In Bordeaux across the Gironde
the oliphaunt, Roland's split ivory horn, was preserved: li pelerin li veient ki la vunt, "the pilgrim may see it who goes"; a Seint Romain; la gisent li baron, "at Saint-Romain; there lie the barons", a sign interpreted by Gerald Brault to show that the pilgrimage sites at Bordeaux and Blaye had been established before the Chanson de Roland was composed. Indeed, in 1109 Hugh of Fleury
concluded his account of the battle of Roncevaux with the words "whence Roland was carried to the citadel of Blaye and buried." The legend was long credited: in 1526 François I
commanded the tomb of Roland to be opened.
The nominal patron of the basilica, belonging to the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine
, remained the local 4th-century martyr Saint Romanus of Blaye
; here the pilgrims bound for Santiago de Compostela
paused before taking to boats to cross to Bordeaux
.
In 848, the fort and its surrounding habitations were laid waste by the Viking
chief Hasting.
Some vestiges of the structure remain within the Vauban
fortress at Blaye
, which formed part of the traditional defenses of the Gironde estuary
.
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, the resting-place of Charibert II
Charibert II
Charibert II , a son of Clotaire II and his junior wife Sichilde, was briefly King of Aquitaine from 629 to his death, with his capital at Toulouse. We have no direct statement about when Charibert was born exact that he was "a few years younger" than his half-brother Dagobert...
, a son of Clotaire II
Clotaire II
Chlothar II , called the Great or the Young , King of Neustria, and, from 613 to 629, King of all the Franks, was not yet born when his father, King Chilperic I died in 584...
who was briefly king of Aquitaine from 629 to his death in 632, and of his son. According to the 12th-century Chanson de Roland contained the body and relics of the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
folk-hero Roland
Roland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
, who was a seigneur of Blaye in the eighth century, and of his companions Olivier and Turpin, deposited with grand solemnity in white marble sarcophagi. In Bordeaux across the Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
the oliphaunt, Roland's split ivory horn, was preserved: li pelerin li veient ki la vunt, "the pilgrim may see it who goes"; a Seint Romain; la gisent li baron, "at Saint-Romain; there lie the barons", a sign interpreted by Gerald Brault to show that the pilgrimage sites at Bordeaux and Blaye had been established before the Chanson de Roland was composed. Indeed, in 1109 Hugh of Fleury
Hugh of Fleury
Hugh of Fleury was a French Benedictine monk and ecclesiastical writer. He is known only by his works....
concluded his account of the battle of Roncevaux with the words "whence Roland was carried to the citadel of Blaye and buried." The legend was long credited: in 1526 François I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
commanded the tomb of Roland to be opened.
The nominal patron of the basilica, belonging to the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine
Independent Augustinian Communities
Independent Augustinian communities are Roman Catholic religious communities that follow the Augustinian Rule, but are not under the jurisdiction of the Prior General of the Augustinian hermits in Rome....
, remained the local 4th-century martyr Saint Romanus of Blaye
Romanus of Blaye
Saint Romanus of Blaye was a priest in the Gironde in France.He was active at the end of the fourth century. Gregory of Tours claimed that St. Martin of Tours buried Romanus. An old life of St. Romanus was published in the Analecta Bollandiana. His feast is 24 November....
; here the pilgrims bound for Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
paused before taking to boats to cross to Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
.
In 848, the fort and its surrounding habitations were laid waste by the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
chief Hasting.
Some vestiges of the structure remain within the Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
fortress at Blaye
Blaye
Blaye is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Blayais or the Blayaises.-Geography:...
, which formed part of the traditional defenses of the Gironde estuary
Gironde estuary
The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...
.