Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve, located in Chemillé (Maine-et-Loire), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Chemillé, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2103, -0.7272
- Mérimée Reference
- PA49000057
A jewel of Anjou's eclecticism, Notre-Dame la Neuve de Chemillé boldly combines the splendours of Plantagenet and Romanesque architecture to create a striking hall church, built between 1879 and 1884.
History
In the heart of Chemillé, a village in the Maine-et-Loire department renowned for its medicinal plant cultivation, the church of Notre-Dame la Neuve stands out as an outstanding work of architecture. Far from being a simple 19th-century country church, it reveals, to those who take the time to observe it, an artistic and symbolic ambition that is rare for a town of modest size. Its composite façade, its three luminous vessels and the quality of its sculpted decoration make it a surprising and captivating building. What makes Notre-Dame la Neuve truly unique is the intellectual approach that went into its design. Its architects, Dainville and Dussauze, were not content to simply apply a fashionable style: they carefully studied the medieval models of Plantagenet Anjou and Saintonge Romanesque architecture, distilling their essence in a 19th-century building. The hall church, a plan in which the three naves are almost identical in height, offers remarkable spatial unity and luminosity, very different from Gothic cathedrals with ambulatories. The visit begins long before you cross the threshold: the façade invites you to decipher a meticulous iconographic programme, where tympanums and historiated capitals interact with the main lines of a masterful neo-medieval architecture. Inside, the height of the three vessels creates an impression of generous, peaceful space. Light filters through the skylights to animate the columns and sculptures, revealing the richness of the décor that you gradually discover as you wander around. Chemillé's setting adds to the appeal of the visit: the town, nicknamed "the city of herbs", boasts lush green surroundings and a living heritage. Notre-Dame la Neuve, listed as a Historic Monument since 2006, is part of an area where history, nature and craftsmanship combine harmoniously to offer a memorable cultural escapade.
Architecture
Notre-Dame la Neuve belongs to the type of hall church, or Hallenkirche, characterised by three vessels - a central nave and two side aisles - of roughly equal height, creating a unified interior space bathed in light. This plan, inherited from Germanic traditions and certain Romanesque buildings in the south of France, is reinterpreted here through the prism of the Plantagenet architecture typical of medieval Anjou, with its flat domed vaults and robust piers. The roof, covering the three vessels in a continuous or slightly differentiated manner, emphasises the balance of the composition from the outside. The main facade, designed according to the canons of the Poitevin Romanesque style, is organised in horizontal registers enlivened by abundant sculpted decoration: archivolts with scrolls, historiated capitals, figured modillions and plant friezes punctuate the stone surfaces. The portals follow the morphology of the great Romanesque entrances with their concentric voussoirs, while the tympanums feature narrative scenes of a religious nature. The architects Dainville and Dussauze took care to incorporate specifically Plantagenet elements into the design of the interior supports and roofing, anchoring the building in the local tradition. Inside, engaged columns and half-columns punctuate the space with classical regularity, supporting semi-circular or slightly pointed arches depending on the area. The quality of the sculpture on the capitals, directly inspired by the Romanesque workshops in Anjou in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, is one of the monument's strong points. The materials used, mainly local tufa and limestone, give the building the warm, luminous hue so characteristic of Anjou architecture.
Related Figures
Dainville — architecte co-concepteur des plans de l'église (1879-1884)Dussauze — architecte co-concepteur, partenaire de Dainville dans ce projet éclectiqueEugène Viollet-le-Duc — théoricien de l'architecture médiévale dont l'influence inspire la démarche des architectesLes maîtres sculpteurs angevins de la fin du XIXe siècle — artisans anonymes du riche décor sculptéLa communauté paroissiale de Chemillé — commanditaire et gardienne de l'édifice depuis sa fondation
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve located?
Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve is located in Chemillé, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve built?
Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve open to visitors?
Eglise Notre-Dame la Neuve is currently closed to visitors.