Basilique St-Martin


In the Middle Ages, Tours was an important pilgrimage city thanks to the relics of soldier-turned-evangelist St Martin (c 317–97). In the 5th century a basilica was constructed above his tomb; in the 13th century it was replaced by an enormous Romanesque church, of which only two towers, Tour Charlemagne and Tour de l’Horloge, remain. Modern-day Basilique St-Martin, a domed, neo-Byzantine structure, was built from 1886 to 1925.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Tour de l’Horloge

0.05 MILES

One of the last vestiges of Tours' 13th-century, Romanesque Basilique St-Martin.

3. Hôtel Gouïn

0.19 MILES

Hidden behind an Italianate façade, this gorgeous early-Renaissance residence – visible through a stone gate – was built for a wealthy merchant around…

4. Église St-Julien

0.28 MILES

Most of this Gothic church, once part of a Benedictine abbey, dates from the mid-1200s.

5. Palais de Justice

0.29 MILES

Built in the 1840s, Tours' neoclassical courthouse has an imposing colonnade facing place Jean Jaurès.

6. Musée du Compagnonnage

0.3 MILES

This extraordinary museum – an absolute gem! – spotlights France's renowned compagnonnages, guild organisations of skilled craftspeople who have created…

7. Hôtel de Ville

0.33 MILES

Built from 1896 to 1904, Tours' monumental city hall was designed to project both republican values and municipal prestige.

8. Cathédrale St-Gatien

0.55 MILES

With its flying buttresses, gargoyles and twin Renaissance-style towers (70m) – and, inside, Gothic vaulting, dazzling stained glass and huge baroque…