Saint Sylvain made miracles in Levroux

The church

There was a former Romanesque church, re-raised in the 13th century because of the pilgrims who came for saint Sylvain’s relics. This saint’s worship began in the 8th century.

But in Levroux, this worship developed with the foundation of a canons’ chapter by Eudes de Déols, lords of Châteauroux, then with the construction of a church in the 13th century, on the location of the old crypt which housed Sylvain’s relics.

Damaged during the French Revolution, the collegiate church was restored in 1850 by architect Mérindol (disciple of famous Viollet-le-Duc).

Saint Sylvain and the relics

In the 4th century, Sylvain and his pal Sylvestre came in Central France to evangelize inhabitants.

In Gabatum (current Levroux), he baptized Rodène, a young pagan girl engaged with a Roman, Corusculus.

But Rodène gave up everything to follow them! Of course, Corusculus was angry: he tracked them down.

When her fiancé was about to catch her, Rodène mutilated her face to scare him.

But Sylvain, by a miracle, took back his beauty to Rodène… under the Roman’s eyes, who, flabbergasted, decided to become a Christian!

Sylvain, after his death, was worshiped with fervor.

But what about his relics? On a side of the collegiate church, you’ll see a little door: the entrance of the 11th century crypt (we can’t visit it), where Sylvain and Sylvestre’s bodies were buried. They had to translate the remains in a bigger crypt, in 1207.

You’ll see reliquaries in the church choir: relics are inside.

Oh, by the way: the choir’s stained glass windows (by Lobin, 1878 and Florence, 1894) represent Rodène and Sylvain’s life!