Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau, located in Droué (Loir-et-Cher), 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
- Droué, Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0330, 1.0781
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098430
Nestling in Droué, this Romanesque-Gothic chapel features panelling dating from 1572 with the abbey's coat of arms and rare wall paintings of the Three Marys - a discreet jewel from the Benedictine priory of Boisseleau.
© Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia
History
In the heart of the Vendôme region, away from the main tourist routes, the former chapel of Boisseleau reveals an architectural layering of rare coherence. Heir to a Benedictine priory founded in the Middle Ages, it combines four centuries of devotion, art and seigniorial history in a single building, from the sober Romanesque style of the 12th century to the decorative elegance of the Renaissance. What makes this monument truly unique is the intimate coexistence of two architectural periods: a Romanesque nave with controlled volumes, closed by a cul-de-four apse, and a Renaissance aisle built in 1537 for use as a seigneurial chapel. The three hooked gables on the north side of the aisle give the building an unusual and picturesque silhouette, typical of the transition between late Gothic and early Renaissance architecture in the Loire Valley. The interior is full of surprises. The panelling covering the nave, proudly bearing the date 1572 and the presumed coat of arms of the abbess of Saint-Avit, testifies to the care taken by those who commissioned the decoration of this liturgical space. But it is perhaps the walls of the apse that are the most striking: fragile traces of 16th-century paintings depicting the Three Marys remain, like an open window onto the piety and iconography of the provincial Renaissance. To visit Boisseleau is to experience a form of archaeological contemplation. The building, listed as a historic monument since 1973, can be explored slowly, in the tranquillity of an unspoilt site in the Loir-et-Cher region. Lovers of medieval and Renaissance architecture, monastic history enthusiasts and photographers in search of soft light filtered through small Romanesque openings will find plenty to fascinate them.
Architecture
The layout of the former Boisseleau chapel is typical of 12th-century rural prior chapels: a single nave running east-west, enclosed on the east side by a semicircular apse covered by a cul-de-four, a quarter-sphere vault typical of Romanesque architecture. The walls of the nave, built of local limestone rubble in the Loir-et-Cher building tradition, are thick and solid, typical of monastic buildings of the period. The addition of the north aisle in the 16th century (1537) introduced a different architectural vocabulary, characteristic of late Gothic with a Renaissance influence. The three bays of this aisle, covered in panelling, open onto the nave through arcades whose cut-out design testifies to the skills of the regional stonemasons. Outside, three hooked gables - the quintessential flamboyant Gothic ornament - crown the aisle, creating a rhythmic, lively silhouette that contrasts with the Romanesque severity of the main body. The interior retains two exceptional decorative features: the panelling in the nave, dated 1572, is a painted and sculpted surface of great craftsmanship, bearing the abbey's coat of arms; and the fragments of wall paintings in the apse depicting the Three Marys, an evangelical scene common in 16th-century provincial iconography, executed in tempera on plaster. These two elements give the building a remarkable decorative density for a rural chapel.
Related Figures
Abbesse de Saint-Avit de Châteaudun (XVIe siècle) — commanditaire présumée du lambris de 1572, dont les armoiries ornent la nefFondateurs du prieuré bénédictin (XIIe siècle) — moines de l'abbaye Saint-Avit ayant établi la dépendance de BoisseleauSeigneur local de Droué (XVIe siècle) — commanditaire de la chapelle seigneuriale construite en 1537Chanoines de l'abbaye Saint-Avit de Châteaudun — tuteurs spirituels du prieuré de Boisseleau pendant plusieurs siècles
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau located?
Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau is located in Droué, Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau built?
Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau open to visitors?
Ancienne chapelle de Boisseleau is currently closed to visitors.