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Secondary sourcePhotograph

Tombs in Fontevraud Abbey

Esther Westerveld

A photograph of royal stone tombs in Fontevraud Abbey, France, which includes the setting of Eleanor of Aquitaine's burial. It shows where she was laid to rest.

Shows the royal tombs at Fontevraud, the setting of Eleanor of Aquitaine's burial among her family.

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Two stone effigy tombs with painted, recumbent figures in a pale stone abbey interior, behind a metal railing. Visitors sit and stand nearby on a tiled floor. The upper tomb's figure has a crowned head, the lower one lies on a pillow.
Esther Westerveld, Tombs in Fontevraud Abbey, photographed 2011.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph by Esther Westerveld, taken on 8 July 2011, of two stone effigy tombs in the abbey church of Fontevraud. The effigies are painted and recumbent. Behind a metal railing, visitors sit and stand on a tiled floor. The upper figure has a crowned head, and the lower figure lies on a pillow. The tombs include those of Eleanor's family.

Why it matters

Fontevraud Abbey was where Eleanor was buried, and it became the burial place of several members of her family. The tombs show how medieval rulers were commemorated, with carved likenesses placed in a church. The photograph records how the site looks today, not how it looked when the tombs were first made.

Look closer

  • Which details in the tombs show royal rank, and how are they shown?
  • Why might a family of rulers be buried together in one place?
  • What can a photograph from 2011 not tell you about the original tombs?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Eleanor of Aquitaine on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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