Tours - Basilique Saint-Martin / Tour Charlemagne

The Basilica of St. Martin (left) was erected over St. Martin´s tomb. It was built between 1886 and 1924 by French architect Victor Laloux in a neo-Byzantine style.
It replaced the huge medieval church, where the shrine was a center of pilgrimage and a major halt for all on their way to Santiago

This church was abandoned and vandalized during the Revolution and demolished after the vaults were collapsed in 1797. Only two towers are still standing, one of them is the "Tour Charlemagne", seen in the background.It once rose over the north arm of the transept. According to the local tradition, the name of the tower alludes to the site of the sepulchre of Luitgarde, Charlemagne's wife, who died in 800 in Tours.

After the demolition of the preceding church, one of the largest in Europe in medieval times, the tomb of Saint-Martin was lost. It was rediscovered in 1860.