Collégiale Saint-Aignan

This beautiful church was originally built for the worship of Saint Aignan, whose relics were in the crypt. The present basilica, begun by Charles VII in 1438 but completed in 1509 by Louis XII, is not the first construction since traces of buildings dating from the 6th, 9th and 11th, 14th and 15th centuries have been found. They were all destroyed, by fire, floods, or by human hand. The people of Orléans, and in particular the canons, have always been keen to rebuild this building because Saint Aignan is an important figure in the history of Orléans for the role he played against the barbarians in the 5th century when he was bishop of the town, and he is said to have defended the town against the invasion of the Huns in 451 in a rather miraculous manner.