This imposing Flamboyant Gothic church lies at the heart of St-Michel. Begun in the 14th century, it took more than 200 years to complete and is best known for its impressive stained glass. With the exception of those in the Chapelle de Mons, all the original windows were destroyed during WWII, but the 1960s stained-glass windows are truly dazzling. Like the cathedral, the 114m-tall bell tower – nicknamed La Flèche – stands apart from the church and can be climbed. Views are panoramic. Basilique Saint-Michel, Bordeaux Basilique Saint-Michel, Bordeaux (must see) The Basilica of Saint-Michel is a Catholic church located on Place Canteloup, a historic square close to the Pont de Pierre bridge. It was built at the turn of the 15th century in the Gothic Flamboyant style. A highly unusual design, it features a cruciform church building and a separate bell tower. The tower, which tapers to form an elegant, ornately decorated spire, is 114 meters tall and was built after the church building, sometime in the 15th century. It makes the Basilica of Saint-Michel the city’s tallest building, and the second tallest church in all of France. The dizzying height of the tower makes it visible across much of Bordeaux, a flat city with relatively few tall buildings. It is worthwhile heading towards this landmark wherever you are in the city, as the church itself houses a number of interesting artifacts. The church pulpit depicts St Michael slaying a dragon, whilst the central stained glass window was designed by Couturat. Beneath the church lies a cemetery and catacombs from the city’s Roman era, which lay undiscovered until 1881. Why You Should Visit: A gothic extravaganza on the outside, standing clear in the square. Easy to walk around and view from all angles. Inside is typical except for the marvelous 20th-century windows, some of the best modern stained-glass in Europe. One of the chapels is given over to information both on the glass in the basilica and on the 'modern masters'. Tip: Sit outside by night in one of the many coffee/wine bars in the square and enjoy the view! Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-12:30pm / 2-5:30pm; Sun: 2-5:30pm

Classed as flamboyant gothic style architecture, the Basilica of Saint Michael is a beautiful Church with its separate belfry tower, rib vaulted ceiling and flying buttresses. It's located in the Saint Michael quarter of Bordeaux in Saint Michael Square. Easily accessible and walkable from the heart of the city and close to the quay side area, and easily identified by its 114 metres flèche. The stained-glass windows were mostly destroyed during the second world war and had been replaced. The most iconic I found was the pulpit with Saint Michael slaying the dragon enshrine on the top of the pulpit. Absolutely worth visiting and it's open most days for visitors to visit.

Amazing Basilique to visit. It has so much history behind it. The organ music captures your soul like nothing else. There are not many visitors in the winter time.

an ancient church that bridges the world from Gothic to the modern age. San Michel in Bordeaux is magic definitely go for a service because this is a fully functioning church. If the sun is shining the stained glass illuminates the entire church with beautiful colors shimmering as you walk through and experience old world spirituality.

St Michel basilica built in 12th century at the centre of Bordeaux. Impressive interior settings

This is a beautiful Cathedral and very much worth a visit. The stain glass windows are absolutely spectacular. There is a beautiful Altar with in tact Altar rails, an unusual feature "post Vatican II".

A very extravagant Gothic style Basilica. It happens to be one of the important places on a pilgrimage trail for the religious. The neighbourhood had a very colorful and cosmopolitan ambience. The huge spire was very beautiful.

Basilica itself was nice but the surroundings were just awful!! It looked like a garbage area - dirt, even mattresses laying around; I felt unsafe, very uncomfortable, I did not feel that I was in France. It was a disappointment and made me sad.

This is a very historic church, dating almost 1,000 years ago! It is a very quiet and low-light experience. You can walk the entire church in 20 minutes for the non religious. There were many people praying in corners. You can also walk the tower. Photos as of May 2018.

Must visit..Beautiful, friendly, welcoming Historic. Free and open to the public during business hours..I went to church service on a sunday and loved it..Great people.

So cool to sit around and walk through (which was free and has good hours). The time I went in there was someone playing the organ, which was amazing and really added to the ambience. Lots of people were wearing sleeveless tops and had leg showing, so the typical church rules of being very concerned did not seem to be a priority here.

An incredibly impressive basilica in the heart of Bordeaux. An amazing building and a great place to spend some time quietly admiring the architecture, stain glass windows and various exhibits. It is an interesting place to spend a part of your afternoon.

It's a beautiful historical cathedral, but there's some restoration works going on! Still worth a visit if you around the are

Definitely worth to visit. The walls inside are unrestored and the dark stone combined with the bright blue winds give a sense of the antiquity and monumentality of the basilica

Such a beautiful Cathedral inside and out. Very much worth a visit even if some of it is under construction. The stain glass windows are absolutely beautiful.

BEAUTIFUL, BUT UNDER CONSTRUCTION It's one of the three most important churches in Bordeaux and ordinarily it's a beautiful place to behold. But the re-construction of the bell tower, bad traffic and construction works everywhere takes the shine off it a litte. Inside, you'll find some amazing stained-glass windows and you won't be disappointed. If you're looking to go up the bell-tower, you'll be disappointed, as all of that is covered with scaffolding at the moment. Really ruins what is otherwise a picturesque basilica.

Peaceful, tranquil yet amazing...

Really impressive architecture. The scale of it is a bit surprising. It was well maintained. It was disappointing that none of the text or audio descriptions were available in other languages. Would have loved to have read about the history of the place.

For a Basilica in a City like Bordeaux the place is falling into pieces. Very dirty and unkept. There is no point in having beautiful structures and sculptures if one doesn't know how to maintain them.

Very near to Saint Michael tram station. There is some construction work going on in the area. Highly photogenic. There is a cheap super market nearby too.

Really impressive and huge basilique ! Really love this place !

Very dramatic setting around small buildings, just beautiful

Very beautiful building in the nice area with lots of small bars to have a drink at.

Another impressive cathedral in The city. The stain glass windows were magnificent

A beautiful basilique to visit. I loved it so much but it isn't well maintained. This place must have some restauration

Majestic building! Only part of it was open to the public but was enough to see its beauty. Free to enter.

This might not be the most magnificent stained glass, but it's definitely the most impressive and unique that I've ever seen. So much in love! I could just stare and stare 😍

It's bears a history within itself. If you are in Bordeaux visit this place. I was just lucky to have a view of the city from the top of it. But it was supposed to be closed for maintenance for a long period of time.