Riez No. 1

According to Corblet this baptistery, which is now outside the town, was once near the disappeared cathedral. Despite having been "maladroitement restaurée en 1818", this rotunda has the same basic interior distribution as the baptistery at Aix-en-Provence [cf. entry in Index]. Corblet also informs that excavations have unearthed a 5th century "piscine" about 120 cm in diameter and 45 cm in depth, with its sides lined with plaques of white marble. It was converted in 1559 into a chapel dedicated to St-Clair, which served in Corblet's time [ca. 1881] as the chapel for the Confrérie des Pénitents (Corblet, 1881-1882, v. 2, p. 72). Described in Enlart (1902) as a baptistery in which vestiges of the channelling of water are still visible. Delcor (1973) suggests a 6th or 8th century dating for the baptistery. On-site notes: the building, square on the outside but with the original octagonal internal distribution is used now as a lapidary museum. [NB: our gratitude to Mlle. Valéry Reynard, of the Bureau de Tourisme de Riez, for providing full access to us and for being a charming and friendly guide during our visit]