076. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The foundations of the oratory. On the floor of the second row of the present choir, the double line of black tiles surrounded by a row of clear tiles shows the exact place of the foundations of the old oratory. The underneath foundations form a semi-circular apse going on as side walls that disappear in the Romanesque building. Fortunatus (530-600), bishop of Poitiers, wrote in his "Vie de Saint Pair" (St. Pair's Life) that the cells of the early monks were built beside the sea. Then monks move their dwellings on the banks of the river Saigue, at the site of the present church, attracting a population that settled around the oratory. In the foreground, a white gravestone shows the spot where St. Pair's sarcophagus was buried and discovered. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-042]
077. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. St. Gaud's reliquary, on the altar covering his shell limestone sarcophagus. St. Gaud (400-491) has its own chapel, built in the 19th century in the north wall of the choir, the church being a place of pilgrimage dedicated to his worship. After fourty years as the second bishop of Evreux, St. Gaud resigned from office to come and retire in the solitude of Saint-Pair. St. Gaud's sarcophagus was found in 1131 while digging the foundations of the Romanesque tower. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-041]
078. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. St. Gaud's reliquary. In this photo dated 2009, the reliquary is adorned with both ex-votos and flowers. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-21]
