Provins - Saint-Ayoul

When in 865 the Normans looted the famous abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (= Fleury Abbey), four monks from there saved the relics of Saint-Ayoul, a martyred Bishop of Bourges, by transferring the body secretly to a small chapel in Provins.

In 996 the relics were re-found here, a church was built over the tomb and a priory founded. Provins developed into a place of pilgrimage.

The church burnt down in 1157 and got immediately rebuilt. It got remodeled and enlarged many times until the sixteenth century.

During the French Revolution the church got vandalized, then the priory was sold and the church was used for storage. After it was bought back, the church got restored in the 20th century.

While Saint-Ayoul´s portal dates from around 1160 (after the fire) and is carved in a soft early-Gothic style, some capitals must have survived the fire. Here is a "Luxuria", that must have been part of the older structure.