Eglise de la Madeleine
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise de la Madeleine, located in Montargis (Loiret), 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
- Montargis, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9985, 2.7326
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098823
In the heart of Montargis, the Madeleine church boasts a striking Renaissance chevet overlooking the Place Mirabeau and a neo-Gothic belfry designed by Anatole de Baudot, a pupil of Viollet-le-Duc.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the tightly woven fabric of the historic centre of Montargis, the Madeleine church reveals itself to the visitor as a palimpsest of stone, where each century has left its mark without erasing that of its predecessor. It is from the Place Mirabeau that the building reveals its most spectacular face: the luminous, slender Renaissance chevet acts as a veritable urban façade, providing a striking counterpoint to the narrowness of the alleyway through which you enter the church. The interior is surprising in its spatial complexity. The layout combines three naves, an asymmetrical transept and a vast choir in the form of a hall church - a rare arrangement that gives the whole an impression of height and light that is unusual for a town church. The ambulatory that encircles the central chancel invites you to take a meditative stroll, while the side chapels reveal a collection of stained glass windows by Lobin, a renowned 19th-century manufacturer from Tours, whose deep colours filter the light in layers of rare intensity. The experience of visiting the church is also that of a superimposition of atmospheres: the Romanesque sobriety of the oldest parts gradually gives way to the flamboyant Gothic elegance, then to the Renaissance fantasy of the chevet, before the eye rises to the neo-Gothic belfry of the 19th century, a familiar silhouette in the Montargois landscape. This dialogue of styles, far from detracting from the coherence of the whole, is precisely what gives it its charm. La Madeleine is also a living monument, an active parish in the heart of a town that has managed to preserve its heritage. The generous acoustics of the church hall make it a popular setting for sacred music concerts, extending a cultural vocation inherited from several centuries of religious and community life.
Architecture
The Madeleine church has a complex layout, the result of several building campaigns. The nave, with three naves, opens to the west through a discreet portal onto a narrow alleyway, an arrangement that reinforces, by contrast, the surprise provided by the discovery of the apse from the Place Mirabeau. The short transept, with its asymmetrical crosspieces, betrays the successive adjustments made to the building over several centuries. The choir, treated as a hall church, is the centrepiece of the building: a central vessel of equal height to the side aisles, surrounded by an ambulatory and flanked by side chapels, it ends in a flat chevet with rounded corners, a characteristic feature of the region's late Gothic style. Externally, the Renaissance chevet is extremely elegant: its buttresses, large mullioned windows and crowns combining Gothic vocabulary and antique motifs make it a rare example of this style in the Loiret. The neo-Gothic belfry, built in 1863 by Anatole de Baudot, rises vertically, its pointed arches and ashlar caps revealing the rationalist influence of Viollet-le-Duc. Inside, the plastered brick false vaults, created during the 19th-century restoration, recreate the impression of a Gothic vault. The stained glass windows by Lobin, in deep shades of blue and red, and the polychrome decoration inside complete a remarkably coherent visual ensemble, a testament to the eclectic and erudite taste of the Victorian restoration.
Related Figures
Anatole de Baudot — architecte du beffroi néo-gothique (1863), élève de Viollet-le-DucEugène Viollet-le-Duc — superviseur des travaux de restauration à partir de 1860Lobin (manufacture de Tours) — maître-verrier auteur des vitraux du XIXe siècleRenée de France — duchesse de Montargis au XVIe siècle, figure tutélaire de la ville à l'époque de la reconstruction Renaissance de l'égliseLouis VII — roi capétien ayant séjourné à Montargis, contemporain des premières constructions romanes
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise de la Madeleine located?
Eglise de la Madeleine is located in Montargis, Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise de la Madeleine built?
Eglise de la Madeleine dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise de la Madeleine open to visitors?
Eglise de la Madeleine is currently closed to visitors.