Eglise Saint-Lubin
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Lubin, located in Averdon (Loir-et-Cher), 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
- Averdon, Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6846, 1.2943
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098329
On the outskirts of Blois, Saint-Lubin d'Averdon church reveals ten centuries of living stone: a Romanesque bell tower set on the choir, a semi-circular apse and a Renaissance portal of rare elegance.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the peaceful village of Averdon, a few kilometres north-west of Blois, Saint-Lubin church is one of those discreet buildings that harbour an astonishing wealth of history. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1947, it encapsulates more than a thousand years of French religious architecture in a single building, from the early Romanesque period through to the great transformations of the Renaissance. Visitors are immediately struck by the surprising coherence of this complex, despite the fact that it was built in several successive phases. The eye is immediately drawn to the square bell tower perched on the choir, an architectural solution inherited from the first medieval churches in the Loire Valley, where the lantern tower visually marks the transept crossing from the outside. The semi-circular apse that closes off the east of the building is an almost intact example of pre-Romanesque architecture, with its gentle lines contrasting with the rigour of the eaves walls. Inside, the atmosphere is intimate and contemplative. The nave, divided in the 16th century, bears the traces of each era like geological strata visible to the naked eye. The sculpted capitals - adorned with acanthus leaves, plant crosses and dentils - offer lovers of Romanesque iconography a valuable lesson in this small village in the Loir-et-Cher region. The light filters softly through the round arched windows, bathing the limestone in a light that is typical of the Loire region. The western portal, with its carefully crafted Renaissance moulding, is a reminder that the building was at the heart of an area deeply marked by the passage of the royal court and the early spread of new forms from Italy. Saint-Lubin d'Averdon is thus a rare synthesis: a monument that is humble in scale, but ambitious in its history and the quality of its sculpted details.
Architecture
Saint-Lubin church has a Latin cross plan, the result of successive additions over several centuries. The single nave, oriented east-west in the Christian tradition, is flanked by two cross aisles added in the 15th century. The transept crossing forms the chancel, which is extended to the east by a remarkably well-preserved semicircular apse of pre-Romanesque inspiration. The square bell tower crowns the chancel in a sober style, with a semi-circular bay opening onto the apse, a rare solution that gives it a distinctive silhouette in the flat landscape of the Beauce region of Vendôme. The dominant materials are local limestone rubble and brick, alternating in regular courses on the west gable and north wall, betraying the Carolingian origin of these parts. This construction method, inherited from late Roman techniques, is one of the clearest signs of the building's age. The western portal, pierced through this archaic gable, offers a striking contrast: its finely chiselled Renaissance moulding belongs to an entirely different decorative vocabulary, a sign of the boldness of the workshop that designed it. Inside, the sculpted capitals are the main decorative feature. Their decorations - stylised acanthus leaves, plant crosses, rows of dentils - are in the tradition of the 11th-12th century Ligère Romanesque style, influenced by workshops in Burgundy and Poitou. The nave, divided in the 16th century, retains an atmosphere of great unity despite these transformations, where light-coloured stone dominates and where each period has left its signature without destroying that of its predecessors.
Related Figures
Saint Lubin (Leobinus) — évêque de Chartres († v. 556), patron de l'église, figure majeure du christianisme ligérienCharlemagne — dont le règne correspond à la tradition de fondation carolingienne de l'édificeFrançois Ier — dont la cour à Blois favorisa la diffusion du style Renaissance dans les campagnes blésaisesLes chanoines du diocèse de Chartres — gestionnaires présumés de la vicairie médiévale d'AverdonMaîtres maçons anonymes du XIe siècle — bâtisseurs du chœur, de la nef et du clocher roman
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Lubin located?
Eglise Saint-Lubin is located in Averdon, Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Lubin built?
Eglise Saint-Lubin dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Lubin open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Lubin is currently closed to visitors.