Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin, located in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3924, 0.6813
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098133
In the heart of Tours, this 15th-century medieval almshouse boasts a polygonal tower with a stone spiral and a wrought-iron railing dating from 1677, a rare example of Touraine's charitable and architectural art.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Tours, the former Saint-Martin almshouse is one of the few surviving civil and philanthropic remains from the late Middle Ages still standing in the city. Far from the great fortresses that line the Loire, it offers a different view of Tours' heritage: that of the care and hospitality institutions that punctuated the life of medieval towns, under the protective patronage of Saint Martin, the tutelary figure of Touraine. What makes this monument unique is above all the harmonious cohabitation of two distinct eras. The main building, erected in the 15th century, sits alongside an outbuilding added in the 17th century, creating a composite but coherent whole. The transition between flamboyant Gothic and classical sobriety is almost like a treatise on architecture in situ, accessible to the attentive eye. The centrepiece of the visit is undoubtedly the polygonal tower, which houses a carved stone spiral staircase. Its basket-handle doorway, crowned with an accolade and finely worked pinnacles, is an eloquent example of the flamboyant Gothic style that flourished in the Loire Valley at the time of the last Valois. This discreet but precise sculptural detail is well worth a long look. To the north of the courtyard, the terrace supported by two arcades and protected by a wrought-iron railing dated 1677 is a rare document of the decorative arts of the Grand Siècle in Touraine. The sober, elegant wrought ironwork is a reminder that the region's metalworking craftsmen reached a remarkable level of mastery at the time. This almost confidential detail is one of the hidden charms of this under-celebrated monument. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1946, the building can be visited with the curiosity of a well-informed walker, sensitive to architectural palimpsests. Tours, a royal city par excellence, has many surprises in store for its visitors, and the Saint-Martin chaplaincy is one of the finest examples of this.
Architecture
The oldest parts of the former Saint-Martin chaplaincy, dating from the 15th century, are in the flamboyant Gothic style, enriched by classical elements introduced during the 17th century restoration campaigns. The main building, rectangular in plan, has the sober massing typical of medieval civil architecture in the urban environment of Touraine. It is flanked by an above-ground polygonal tower housing a stone spiral staircase, a vertical circulation system that was very common in the residential and institutional architecture of the Loire between 1450 and 1520. The most remarkable decorative feature is the doorway leading to this tower: carved in the shape of a basket handle - a slightly lowered arch characteristic of the late Middle Ages - it is crowned with an ogival brace and finely sculpted pinnacles. This flamboyant Gothic ornamental vocabulary, found in the great contemporary royal châteaux of the Loire Valley such as Langeais and Amboise, is applied here to a charitable institution, demonstrating the remarkable spread of aristocratic models to civil and charitable architecture. The northern part of the courtyard, added in the 17th century, adopts a more austere and rational architectural style, in keeping with the classical spirit of the period. The terrace, supported by two semi-circular arches, introduces a note of geometric rigour in contrast to the flamboyant fantasy of the main building. The wrought iron balustrade, dated 1677, with its sober geometric and floral motifs, is a perfect illustration of the regional wrought ironwork of the reign of Louis XIV, halfway between functionality and discreet elegance.
Related Figures
Saint Martin de Tours — évêque et figure tutélaire dont le culte a directement inspiré la fondation des institutions caritatives de la villeLes chanoines du chapitre Saint-Martin — gestionnaires historiques des œuvres de charité liées à la collégiale, probables commanditaires de l'aumônerieArtisans tailleurs de pierre tourangeaux du XVe siècle — auteurs inconnus mais maîtres de la porte en anse de panier et des pinacles flamboyantsFerronniers d'art de 1677 — artisans anonymes dont la signature matérielle, le garde-fou daté, demeure le témoignage le plus précis de l'ensemble
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin located?
Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin is located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin built?
Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin open to visitors?
Ancienne aumônerie de Saint-Martin is currently closed to visitors.