Crypte et trésor de la Cathédrale Saint-Etienne d'Auxerre

The original treasure of Saint-Etienne's Cathedral in Auxerre was dispersed three times in the course of history: in 1359 when the city was taken by the English during the Hundred Years' War, in 1567 when the building was sacked by the Protestants, and finally in 1790, during the French Revolution. The current treasure is made up of the four hundred pieces that Germain Duru, a collector from Auxerre, bequeathed to the parish of Saint-Etienne in 1869. Part of this collection is presented to the public in the 14th century Sainte-Catherine chapel, pending the creation of a larger exhibition in the former chapter house. Visitors can admire, among other things, sacred vases (15th-19th century), Limousin enamels (13th century), sculpted ivories (diptychs, triptychs, etc.), manuscripts and miniatures (14th-16th century), statuettes of the Virgin and wooden saints. The two key pieces on display are the splendid manuscript missal of Monseigneur Étienne Becquart de Panoul, archbishop of Sens at the end of the 13th century, and an impressive Renaissance tombstone painted on slate and attributed to Luca Penni, an artist of the Fontainebleau School (around 1540).