Église Saint-Restitut de Saint-Restitut, Romanesque church in Saint-Restitut, France

The Église Saint-Restitut is a Romanesque church from the late 12th century, built of regular light-beige stone blocks. Its five-sided chevet has a conical roof, a round window and carved brackets under the cornice. The south porch has fluted columns, acanthus capitals and a triangular pediment; on the right capital, a face and two hands emerge from the leaves. A square 11th-century funeral tower adjoins the west end.

The oldest part is an 11th-century funeral tower, to which the church was attached in the mid-12th century. In 1249 the relics of Saint Restitut were moved from the tower into the church; a small Gothic ciborium was built for them in 1516 and survives on the tower's ground floor. The relics were burned during the Wars of Religion, and the church was listed as a monument historique in 1840.

The village grew around the tomb of Saint Restitut, a pilgrimage site where the blind came seeking healing in the Middle Ages. In 1249 his relics were moved from the tower into the church, and in 1516 a small Gothic ciborium was built for them; it survives on the tower's ground floor. The relics were burned during the Wars of Religion.

The church sits in the center of Saint-Restitut and is easy to reach on foot from most places in the village. Visitors should remember this is an active religious space, so appropriate behavior and dress are expected.

The relics were moved from the tower into the church in 1249 and placed in a marble shrine; a small Gothic ciborium built for them in 1516 survives on the tower's ground floor. The remains themselves were burned during the Wars of Religion.