Romainmôtier church, Romanesque abbey in Romainmôtier-Envy, Switzerland
The Romainmôtier church is a Romanesque abbey church in the small village of Romainmôtier-Envy, in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is built in stone, with thick walls, rounded arches, and barrel vaults that run along the main nave.
The site traces back to a monastic community founded in the 5th century by two brothers who came from Condat in Burgundy. In the 11th century, the monastery joined the Cluniac network, which brought it closer to one of the most powerful religious organizations in medieval Europe.
The name of the place goes back to Saint Romanus, a 5th-century monk who settled here. Inside the church, visitors can still see medieval frescoes on the walls, which give the interior a warmth that plain stone alone cannot provide.
The church sits at the center of the village of Romainmôtier-Envy and is easy to reach on foot from the surrounding area. It is worth setting aside some time to also walk through the old cloister that stands directly next to the building.
Beneath the current floor of the church lie the foundations of at least four earlier buildings that were built one on top of the other over many centuries. Traces of these different construction phases are still visible in parts of the interior walls today.
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