Saint Avit Senieur, Dordogne village

Dordogne > Towns and villages > Saint Avit Senieur

Saint Avit Senieur Hotels

Check-in date

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Check-out date

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Search

- Booking.com Best Price Guarantee
- Reserve online, pay at the hotel.

Visit Saint Avit Senieur

Saint Avit Senieur is home to an abbey dedicated to Saint Avit who was a hermit who died in 570.  Avitus, as he was then called, was resting in the forest by a pagan temple. Avitus, a christian said a prayer and made the sign of the cross and apparently the temple collapsed. Avitus stayed in the area, became a hermit and dedicated the rest of his life to prayer and healing.

Much of the abbey is now  in ruins but there remains a large (very large considering the size of the village!) 11th century church, the presbytere and the monks dormitory. The presbytere is home to an exhibition of art work.

The interior of the church contains a number of frescoes and you can also see remains of the patterns painted on the walls that originally covered the whole of the interior.

Saint Avit Senieur was an important religious centre because of its position on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela from Vezelay and because of the fame of Saint Avit. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.

The village itself is a very attractive one and merits a wander round. There is a small cafe if you are in need of refreshment. On the main square, the Place du Fort, there are buildings with Gothic window and one has a sun dial on its wall. There are a number of walks and bike tracks that lead out from the village and into the surrounding countryside.

Saint Avit Senieur is 6 km from Beaumont du Perigord.