Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis, located in Amboise (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Amboise, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.4098, 0.9787
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097509
The oldest church in Amboise, Saint-Denis has a thousand years of history in the footsteps of Saint Martin. Its Romanesque capitals and Angevin vaults make it a little-known jewel in the Loire Valley.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
In the heart of Amboise, in the shadow of the royal castle, the collegiate church of Saint-Denis offers a journey back through the deepest layers of French history. Although less well known than the great cathedrals of the Loire Valley, it nonetheless harbours an exceptional historical and artistic density, the result of more than twelve centuries of successive stratifications. Built on a site that has been consecrated several times - an ancient temple, the oratory of Saint Martin, then a Romanesque collegiate church - it embodies better than any other monument the continuity of the sacred in Touraine. What makes Saint-Denis truly unique is the richness of its Romanesque sculpture. Its historiated capitals, carved with a narrative virtuosity rare for the 12th century, depict biblical and hagiographic scenes of striking expressivity. Each basket is a small stone theatre that reflects the beliefs and hopes of a medieval society in the throes of intellectual and spiritual ferment. This Romanesque interior is matched by a typically Angevin spatial style: the Plantagenet-style vaults diffuse a soft, enveloping light that contrasts with the rigour of Burgundy. The visit will also be particularly moving in the presence of two works of rare intensity: the Entombment, a poignantly expressive sculpted group, and the recumbent figure known as "the drowned", a disturbingly graceful female figure whose skin still seems wet from the waters of the Loire. These two masterpieces, transferred from the Bourdaisière chapel, make the church a sculpture museum in its own right. The exterior setting, with its five-sided chevet and 15th-century apses, is in subtle harmony with Amboise's ancient urban fabric. The walk around the building, through cobbled streets and discreet gardens, is a natural extension of the contemplation inside. Saint-Denis is just as much a place for Romanesque art enthusiasts as it is for travellers in search of authentic places, untouched by the crowds that invariably flock to the château.
Architecture
Saint-Denis is a Romanesque basilica built according to the principles of the Angevin school, of which it is one of the most coherent examples in Touraine. The central nave, flanked by side aisles, is covered with ribbed vaults characteristic of the Plantagenet style: wider and higher than their counterparts of the Burgundian school, these domes on pendentives create a spacious and luminous atmosphere, almost mystical in its proportions. The south aisle, which was doubled in the 16th century, gives the building a slight asymmetry that can be seen from the outside, a visible sign of its successive construction campaigns. The chevet is the most visually elaborate part of the whole. The main apse, divided into five sections, is flanked by two 15th-century apsidioles that have replaced the original Romanesque chapels. This juxtaposition of vocabularies - baskets of twelfth-century capitals, windows with Gothic infill in the apsidal chapels - does not detract from the overall harmony, but enhances the stratigraphic interpretation of the building. The bell tower, rebuilt in the 18th century, has a sober silhouette without excessive decoration, blending discreetly into the overall structure. The interior sculpted decoration is the highlight of the visit. The Romanesque capitals with their historiated scenes display a symbolic bestiary and gospel stories of remarkable finesse for 12th-century Tours. The cast-iron railings in the choir, from the foundry in Pocé-sur-Cisse, illustrate the region's metalworking expertise. The Entombment group and the famous recumbent statue known as "the drowned woman", both transferred from the Bourdaisière chapel, add a museum dimension to this living liturgical space.
Related Figures
Saint Martin de Tours — évêque du IVe siècle, fondateur de l'oratoire primitif selon la traditionHugues Ier de Tours — seigneur commanditaire de la reconstruction de 1107Louis XII — roi de France dont le mariage avec Jeanne de France y fut annulé en 1498Jeanne de France — épouse répudiée de Louis XII, plus tard canonisée sainte Jeanne de ValoisAnne de Bretagne — bénéficiaire indirecte de l'annulation, devenue reine de France après l'événementAlexandre VI — pape Borgia dont la décision canonique rendit possible l'annulation prononcée à Amboise
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis located?
Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis is located in Amboise, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis built?
Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis open to visitors?
Eglise collégiale Saint-Denis is currently closed to visitors.