The epitaph of Flavinus was engraved beneath a representation of a chrism on the lid of a sarcophagus dating to between 365 and 385, testifying to the Christian presence in Bordeaux to Late Antiquity.

[citation needed] Saint Severinus, born in the Levant, arrived in Bordeaux in the 4th century and met Bishop Amandus.

[citation needed] Another legend involving the basilica is that of the Oliphant of Roland (nephew to Charlemagne and famous for his death at Roncevaux) being placed on the altar by the emperor while carrying the remains of the valiant knight.

The famous Song of Roland recounts this: "Vint a Burdeles, la citet de... Desur l’alter seint Sevrin le baron Met l’oliphan plein d’or e de manguns: Li pelerin le veient ki la vunt".

[3] A Great Step in the Way of Compostela in the Middle Ages, the pilgrims are invited to pass by Saint Severinus to contemplate this relic.

[citation needed] Despite the legends surrounding the founding of the church, the presence of an early religious building is attested to in the mid 5th century.

During this period, the basilica was the scene of an investiture ceremony consecrating access to power over the County of Bordeaux, especially by the Dukes of Aquitaine.

In the 13th century, the canons ordered the construction of the southern entry which is surmounted by a porch with a belfry built in the Renaissance style.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the architect Jean-Baptiste Augier was charged with rebuilding and bracing them with pillars equipped with stone belt courses.

These repairs led to the burial of the crypt and a major modification of the ground of the western porch which dated to the 11th century.

[citation needed] In the late 1820s, the western façade was restored by order of the Saint Severinus Building Council.

Following this classification, its choir was completely reorganized and a new marble altar was made..[citation needed] Arcades were opened and two chapels were dedicated: one to Saint Fort and other one to the Sacred Heart.

The painter and glassmaker Joseph Villiet signed the stained glass windows of the nave that he created which depict scenes from the bible as well as the history and legends that surround the basilica.

[citation needed] After it was classified as an historic monument on the List of 1840, it was then inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 due to it being the head of one of the Ways of Saint James of Compostela.

[citation needed] Even though Roland's Oliphant (mentioned earlier) was still in the basilica as late as the 17th century, it disappeared before the Revolution.

[citation needed] In 2005, the Gothic entrance benefitted from a restoration funded by the city of Bordeaux and Historic Monuments.