Church of Saint-Aignan

The Collegiate Church of Saint-Aignan sits in the quiet eastern part of the old town, away from the tourist circuit, and is less visited than the cathedral but well worth the detour. The current building was largely constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries, though the crypt below dates back much earlier and contains beautiful Romanesque capitals.

The church was built at the request of King Louis XI, who had a particular devotion to Saint Aignan, the 5th-century bishop credited with saving Orléans from Attila. The flamboyant Gothic vaulting of the nave and the Renaissance choir stalls are both fine. The church is often unlocked during the day and rarely crowded.

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A story
Saint Aignan was the bishop of Orléans in 451 AD when Attila the Hun arrived at the city walls. According to tradition, his prayers caused a miraculous fog that confused the Hunnic army and allowed the Roman general Aetius time to arrive with reinforcements. The battle that followed — the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains — was one of the most consequential in late Roman history, effectively stopping Attila's advance into western Europe.

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