Abbey of Saint-Martin de Tours

His successor as bishop was Saint Brice, who held office between 397 and 442. The new bishop undertook to enhance the burial place with a simple structure that would later also serve as his own burial site. This building, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, was remodelled under Bishop Perpet (458–488), who commissioned the construction of a new basilica between 467 and 471, consecrated in the latter year. While these works were underway, the saint's body was housed in a simple temporary building, possibly made of wood, of which some remains are believed to have been identified.

The Basilica of Saint-Martin and the city of Tours itself became an important centre of attraction for the Merovingian rulers, beginning with Clovis I (c. 466–511), and later for the Carolingian dynasty. The traditions of Tours recount several episodes illustrating the favour shown by kings towards this city. The basilica was served by a community of clerics dependent on the cathedral. Between the late 5th and early 6th centuries, a group of buildings was constructed within an enclosed precinct occupied by secular clerics until the mid-7th century, when other monastic communities developed in its vicinity, including that of Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier. During this period, communities of canons and monks coexisted, following different forms of regulation. At the beginning of the 9th century, these communities were reformed according to principles that would later be formalised at the Synod of Aachen in 817.

Despite these difficulties, the canons took responsibility for the Abbey of Marmoutier, which had been temporarily abandoned. Once conditions had stabilised, the site was protected by a defensive enclosure surrounding the basilica and its numerous dependencies. A major fire occurred in 994, necessitating another rebuilding campaign and the consecration of the church in 1014. The monastery was governed by abbots until the 10th century, after which it came under the authority of a dean. It was a canonical community enjoying privileged status, with its own regulations and a degree of independence from ecclesiastical authorities, both from the Bishop of Tours and from the papacy itself.

The 11th-century church, with later modifications, was a building of considerable size. It consisted of five aisles divided into eleven bays, together with a series of chapels added along the southern side, adjacent to the cloister. It also featured a three-aisled transept. The eastern end was formed by the chancel, surrounded by a double ambulatory corresponding to the side aisles of the church. This ambulatory provided access to five radiating chapels. The most significant remains of the building that survive today are the towers known as Charlemagne and Horloge, two of the five towers that once belonged to the complex. From 1887 onwards, a new basilica was erected, smaller in scale and with a different orientation, while preserving Saint Martin's burial place, which continues to be venerated.