Eglise Saint-Loup
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Loup, located in Ingré (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
- Ingré, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9199, 1.8273
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098797
A former flamboyant gothic collegiate church with sculpted capitals under Louis XII and François I, the church of Saint-Loup d'Ingré combines five centuries of religious architecture in a Loire setting.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the heart of the village of Ingré, on the outskirts of Orléans, the church of Saint-Loup is one of the rural collegiate churches that the Loiret region has carefully preserved, silent witnesses to a faith and building skills that have spanned the centuries. Its architecture, the result of several building campaigns spanning from the late 15th century to the 19th century, offers the attentive visitor a veritable catalogue of the building arts of the late Middle Ages and early French Renaissance. What makes Saint-Loup truly unique are its sculpted capitals, veritable jewels of decorative statuary from the reigns of Louis XII and François I. In the north aisle, the transoms of the double and diagonal arches rest on these finely crafted consoles, where faces, foliage and evangelical symbols tell of the artistic ambition of a collegiate church proud of its standing. In the bell tower vault, the four Evangelists are depicted in remarkably well-executed decorative motifs that stand out in the low-angled light. A visit to the building is an invitation to read the layers of time: the masonry vaults of the aisles contrast with the nave, which was vaulted in flat brick in the mid-nineteenth century, revealing two very distinct constructional approaches. The beginnings of buttresses and pinnacles on the nave facades hint at a perhaps more ambitious Gothic project, interrupted or simplified over the decades. The interior, sober and luminous, invites contemplation. The former chapter house, dating from the early 16th century, has been converted into a sacristy, a reminder of the building's collegiate past and retains an atmosphere of studious contemplation. The apse, rebuilt in 1860, completes the ensemble with a regularity that contrasts with the variety of periods visible from the nave. For photographers and art historians alike, Saint-Loup d'Ingré is an unmissable stop-off on the Loire heritage trail, far from the crowds that flock to the great châteaux of the Loire, but no less rich in discoveries.
Architecture
Saint-Loup church has a three-vessel plan - a central nave flanked by two aisles - with a bell tower built into the façade or side of the building, a common feature of late medieval religious architecture in the Loiret region. The overall style is late Flamboyant Gothic, characterised by the multiplication of ribs, the use of sculpted lintels in place of columns or pillars, and the particular attention paid to sculpted decoration. The beginnings of buttresses and pinnacles visible on the nave facades suggest an initial project that may have been more elaborate, but which was partially realised or simplified during the construction work. Inside, there is a striking contrast between the authentic masonry vaults of the side aisles - whose Gothic ribbing rests on sculpted lamp bases with effigies of the four Evangelists and Louis XII and François I foliage - and the flat brick vault of the nave, added in 1860. The bell tower vault, with its stone formets, ribs and tympanums, is one of the most precious elements of the building, its culs-de-lampe offering a coherent iconographic programme of great quality. The former chapter house from the early 16th century, now the sacristy, retains its original proportions and a sober elegance characteristic of the early Renaissance in the Loire Valley. The current apse, rebuilt in 1860, has a semi-circular shape that breaks with the original Gothic square gable.
Related Figures
Louis XII — roi de France sous le règne duquel les premiers culs-de-lampe sculptés de l'église ont été réalisésFrançois Ier — roi de France dont le règne correspond à la seconde campagne de sculpture décorative de l'édificeLes chanoines du chapitre collégial d'Ingré — commanditaires et maîtres d'ouvrage des campagnes de construction des XVe et XVIe sièclesSaint Loup de Sens — évêque et saint du VIIe siècle à qui l'église est dédiée, figure tutélaire de l'édifice
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Loup located?
Eglise Saint-Loup is located in Ingré, Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Loup built?
Eglise Saint-Loup dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Loup open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Loup is currently closed to visitors.