Chapelle de Plainchêne
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle de Plainchêne, located in Villiers-au-Bouin (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
- Villiers-au-Bouin, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5787, 0.2364
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098295
A flamboyant Gothic jewel from the 15th century in Touraine, the Plainchêne chapel fascinates with its capitals sculpted with cherubs, foliage and a group of Adam and Eve of rare expressiveness.
© Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia
History
Nestling in the verdant countryside of Villiers-au-Bouin, on the northern edge of the Indre-et-Loire department, the Plainchêne chapel is one of those monuments that stands the test of time with a quiet grace. The only vestige of a gentleman's residence that no longer exists, its medieval silhouette stands in the middle of an agricultural estate, like a stone sentinel reminding us that these lands were once the domain of a noble family in the Late Middle Ages. What makes this small building truly remarkable is the quality and diversity of its sculptural programme. In the apse, the engaged colonnettes bear capitals of unexpected finesse for a rural chapel: stylised foliage in the manner of the workshops of the Loire, cherubs holding up an armorial shield, and above all a figurative group representing Adam and Eve - a rare scene in this context, testifying to an ambitious patron and a talented sculptor. This iconography places the chapel in the wake of the great flamboyant Gothic works of the Loire Valley. To visit Plainchêne is to experience an inhabited silence. The building, stripped of all ostentatious furnishings, concentrates all its eloquence in the carved stone. Light filters softly through the windows, casting moving shadows on the walls that seem to animate the sculptures. You take your time here, observing, looking for the hidden detail. The setting itself adds to the enchantment: the farm buildings that have replaced the seigniorial residence create a striking contrast, underlining the extent to which this chapel has survived the centuries with an almost miraculous obstinacy. The surrounding Touraine bocage, with its hedgerows and sunken lanes, offers a rural setting that lovers of rural heritage will particularly appreciate.
Architecture
The Plainchêne chapel is typical of the flamboyant Gothic style of the second half of the 15th century in Touraine. The building, which has a simple plan with a single nave ending in a polygonal apse, adopts the slender forms and fine mouldings typical of this period. The masonry, probably made of tufa - the local white stone that is omnipresent in the region's sacred architecture - allows for precise cutting and gives the whole a luminous tone despite the centuries. The apse concentrates most of the architectural and sculptural interest. The ribbed vaults fall onto engaged columns whose capitals form a veritable iconographic programme: plant motifs with supple, naturalistic foliage, cherubs holding armorial bearings - whose arms are difficult to identify with certainty today - and, the centrepiece of the decoration, a figurative group representing Adam and Eve. This representation of the first human couple, rare in this type of private rural architecture, bears witness to an early humanist influence and a decorative ambition that went beyond mere liturgical use. The windows, with their flamboyant latticework, diffuse a soft, subdued light that highlights the work of the sculptors. Despite its modest dimensions, the building as a whole reveals a remarkable stylistic coherence, the sign of a project carried out with care and according to a precise programme, no doubt under the direction of a master builder familiar with the renowned workshops of the Loire region.
Related Figures
Seigneur de Plainchêne (XVe siècle) — commanditaire présumé de la chapelle, membre de la petite noblesse tourangelleMaître d'œuvre anonyme (XVe siècle) — architecte et sculpteur probable, formé dans les ateliers gothiques ligériensSculpteur anonyme des chapiteaux (XVe siècle) — auteur du groupe Adam et Ève et des angelots armoraux de l'absideInspecteur des Monuments historiques (1948) — rapporteur ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de la chapelle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle de Plainchêne located?
Chapelle de Plainchêne is located in Villiers-au-Bouin, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Chapelle de Plainchêne built?
Chapelle de Plainchêne dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle de Plainchêne open to visitors?
Chapelle de Plainchêne is currently closed to visitors.