Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre, located in Neuillé-le-Lierre (Indre-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
- Neuillé-le-Lierre, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5118, 0.9104
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097889
A stone sentinel in the heart of the Lochois region, the church of Saint-Pierre in Neuillé-le-Lierre features 11th-century stone walls and a remarkably pure Romanesque choir with a semi-circular apse.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the gentle rolling countryside of the Lochois, in the east of Touraine, the parish church of Saint-Pierre de Neuillé-le-Lierre is one of those modest rural wonders that you come across at the turn of a road through vineyards and hedged farmland. The fact that it has been listed as a Monument Historique since 1948 testifies to the heritage value of a building that has only been partially transformed over the centuries, preserving most of its medieval substance. What makes Saint-Pierre truly unique is the legible coexistence of two major Romanesque building campaigns. The nave's gutter walls, built in carefully coursed stonework - a technique characteristic of early Romanesque art in which small cut stones form a tight, regular facing - date back to the 11th century. For lovers of medieval architecture, they provide a rare example of late pre-Romanesque masonry, at a time when church building projects were proliferating in the Loire Valley under the impetus of the great Loire abbeys. The choir, added to or remodelled in the 12th century, is in the great Romanesque tradition of Poitevin and Touraine. Its semi-circular apse, covered by a cul-de-four vault, is the most accomplished feature of the building: this half-dome facing east catches the morning light and creates an atmosphere of sober, intense meditation, characteristic of the Romanesque sanctuaries of central-western France. The façade, meanwhile, is the result of restoration or reconstruction work carried out in the 19th century, a period of great enthusiasm for medieval heritage under the influence of Viollet-le-Duc. Without detracting from the authenticity of the medieval parts of the building, this intervention is part of an architectural history common to many rural churches in Touraine. Visiting Saint-Pierre means slowing down, letting your eyes adjust to the half-light of the nave and reading the layers of time in the stone. The church is set in a discreet village surrounded by vineyards and orchards, offering walkers an architectural and spiritual stop-off off the beaten tourist track.
Architecture
Saint-Pierre church consists of a single nave extended by a choir ending in a semicircular apse, a characteristic plan of the small Romanesque rural churches of Touraine and Poitou. Built mainly of local limestone, the different phases of construction are clearly visible to those who know how to observe the materials and fixtures. The eaves walls of the nave, dating back to the 11th century, are faced in petit appareil, a technique in which small limestone stones cut into regular cubes or parallelepipeds are laid in neat courses, creating a facing of remarkable visual density. This method of construction, inherited in part from ancient practices passed on by Carolingian architecture, is a stylistic marker of early Romanesque art in western France. The western facade, remodelled in the 19th century, breaks with this ancient style without detracting from the whole. The 12th-century Romanesque choir is the architectural jewel of the building. The semi-circular apse, covered by a cul-de-four vault - a half-sphere characteristic of Romanesque religious architecture - focuses the eastern light and defines a liturgical space that is both intimate and solemn. The modillions, any capitals on the engaged columns and the treatment of the triumphal arch separating the nave from the choir are all part of the regional Romanesque ornamental vocabulary, sober and uncluttered as befits a Touraine village church.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur des Monuments Historiques, initiateur de l'inventaire du patrimoine médiéval français qui conduisit indirectement à la protection d'édifices tels que Saint-PierreAbbés de Marmoutier — les moines de cette puissante abbaye tourangelle exercèrent une influence déterminante sur la construction et l'administration des paroisses rurales du Lochois aux XIe-XIIe sièclesArchevêques de Tours — sous leur autorité ecclésiastique, les chantiers romans de Touraine, dont probablement celui de Neuillé-le-Lierre, furent organisés et financésViollet-le-Duc (Eugène) — théoricien de la restauration médiévale dont l'influence marqua les interventions sur les façades d'églises rurales comme celle de Saint-Pierre au XIXe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre located?
Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre is located in Neuillé-le-Lierre, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre built?
Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre open to visitors?
Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre is currently closed to visitors.