Église Sainte-Eugénie de Biarritz, Gothic Revival church in Biarritz, France.
Église Sainte-Eugénie is a church building constructed in Gothic Revival style with carefully detailed stonework and tall windows running along its outer walls. The structure contains multiple chapels and a crypt located beneath the main floor.
A chapel dedicated to Saint Eugénie, patron saint of Empress Eugénie de Montijo, was inaugurated in 1856, and a bell tower followed the same year, funded by a 30,000-franc gift from Napoleon III. The present church was built from 1898 to 1903 on the site of the earlier Notre-Dame-de-Pitié chapel, whose modification had been decided by parish priest Gaston Larre. The bell tower was begun in 1927 and its bells installed in 1931.
The church is named for Saint Eugenia, patron saint of Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. Since 2012 it has been served by the Saint-Martin community at the request of Bishop Aillet of Bayonne. Inside, look for the ex-voto ship model La Mathilde, a three-masted warship with cannons and a blue, black and white hull.
The church stands on a raised terrace above the Port Vieux, reached on foot from the old harbour. It belongs to the Notre-Dame-du-Rocher parish and has been served by the Saint-Martin community since 2012, at the request of Bishop Aillet of Bayonne. The crypt, holding the tomb of the first parish priest Gaston Larre, is used for city art exhibitions.
The crypt holds the tomb of Gaston Larre, the parish's first priest, who in 1884 decided to alter the original chapel. It now hosts art exhibitions organised by the city of Biarritz.
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