Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche, located in Tours (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
- Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3940, 0.6765
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098147
In the heart of Tours, Notre-Dame-la-Riche reveals a rare blend of flamboyant Touraine Gothic and Victorian restoration, in a church closely associated with Jean Fouquet, the genius of French medieval painting.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Tours, the church of Notre-Dame-la-Riche is one of those religious foundations that condense several centuries of French history into a single building. Its evocative name - la Riche - is not a praise of opulence, but that of a vanished suburb that gave it its identity, distinguishing it from its medieval ancestor, the church of Notre-Dame-la-Pauvre. This name change alone illustrates the transformation of the town and its inhabitants over the ages. What makes Notre-Dame-la-Riche truly special is its close link with Jean Fouquet, the greatest illuminator and painter of 15th-century Tours. The artist, who worked for the kings of France and the greatest patrons of his time, left a rare decorative imprint here, bearing witness to a period when Tours shone as the artistic capital of the kingdom. Few parish churches of this stature can boast such a pictorial patronage. The tour reveals an interior space shaped by time and people. The nave, covered with brick rib vaults laid during the 19th-century restoration, creates an atmosphere that is both sober and enveloping. The side chapels retain the feeling of contemplation that is characteristic of places long inhabited by prayer. The attentive eye can see the seams between the different eras: the medieval stone, the Victorian brickwork, the portals redone by Gustave Guérin - all layers that can be read like an open book. The very setting of the church, integrated into a Touraine district of narrow streets, is an invitation to wander. The meticulously restored south and west facades provide great opportunities for observation by lovers of Gothic architecture. The whole complex is a precious testimony to medieval urban piety and the 19th-century passion for heritage restoration.
Architecture
The church of Notre-Dame-la-Riche belongs to the vocabulary of Touraine's flamboyant Gothic style, characterised by the lightness of the structures, the multiplication of ribs and a certain linear elegance found in a number of large buildings in the Loire Valley in the 15th century. The layout is that of a church with a single nave or aisles, typical of medium-sized medieval urban parishes, with the interior space organised around a rib-vaulted choir and side chapels. Inside, the nave is unusual in that it was covered with brick rib vaults during Gustave Guérin's restoration (1860-1866), replacing the medieval panelled roof with a system more in keeping with the Gothic canons as understood in the 19th century. This brickwork, unusual in a flamboyant Gothic building in Touraine traditionally built in tufa stone, creates a notable chromatic contrast. The south and west portals, which were completely rebuilt by Guérin, display a meticulous neo-medieval Gothic style, with ornate archivolts and sculpted spandrels. The dominant materials are tuffeau - local shell limestone with a golden hue, the queen stone of Touraine architecture - and the brick of the 19th-century vaults. The south facade, restored between 1991 and 1995, restores the legibility of the Gothic buttresses and bays that punctuate the side elevation. Despite the successive alterations, the overall impression is one of unity, with an atmosphere conducive to contemplation of the flamboyant gothic art in its parochial and intimate dimension.
Related Figures
Jean Fouquet (vers 1420-1481) — peintre et enlumineur tourangeau, auteur du décor de l'église au XVe siècle, considéré comme le fondateur de l'école française de peintureGustave Guérin — architecte chargé de la restauration de l'église de 1860 à 1866 sous le Second EmpireLouis XI — roi de France dont le règne vit l'apogée de Tours comme capitale artistique et résidence royale, contexte de la reconstruction gothique de l'église
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche located?
Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche is located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche built?
Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche open to visitors?
Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame-la-Riche is currently closed to visitors.