Saint-Émilion's tower placed on empty space

The monolithic church tower of Saint-Émilion in Gironde, raised by residents at the end of the 15th century, has been placed on empty space, according to the Juridiction of Saint-Émilion. This Romanesque tower had not been designed to support such a weight, with four pillars of the church bearing the most significant load.

Church's massive size and history

The nave of the church, carved from top to bottom around the year 1100, is 38 meters long and 12 meters high, qualifying it as the largest monolithic church in Europe. The site's name comes from Émilion, a Breton monk who settled as a hermit in a cave on the hill in the 8th century.

Evolution of the bell tower

The original Romanesque bell tower remained modest, with many arcades, far from the monument that is now visible from the square. At the end of the 15th century, it was raised in flamboyant Gothic style. The limestone beneath has not changed: it is the same pillars, cut four centuries earlier, that receive the additional load.

Weight and structural concerns

According to the World Monuments Fund, the 53-meter tower weighs approximately 3,000 tons. This is about the weight of 2,000 passenger cars, placed on pillars cut from limestone. This mass moved at the end of the 20th century, raising fears of collapse. Since 1990, reinforced concrete support pillars have been holding up the structure.

Historical protections and conservation efforts

The church has been classified as a historical monument since 1886, and its bell tower since 1907. These protections preceded the 1996 alert by more than a century. The Juridiction of Saint-Émilion, including the church, was subsequently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1999.

Ongoing reinforcement work

By the end of 2000, the first phase of work costing 910,000 euros (6 million francs) installed metal reinforcements. This followed studies commissioned by the regional conservation of historical monuments to Antéa. During a technical day held on May 20, 2016, it was indicated that the pillars showed signs of weakness due to the overload of the bell tower. Work was underway, with more to come, on the four load-bearing pillars.