Eglise Saint-Martin
ChurchHidden Treasure
Nestling in the heart of the Berry region, Saint-Martin d'Ennordres church boasts eight centuries of medieval architecture, from the 13th-century Romanesque choir to the Renaissance chapel built by the noble La Motte-Forte family.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
In the village of Ennordres, in the Cher department, the church of Saint-Martin stands out as one of those discreet, authentic monuments that the Berry countryside has in store for the attentive traveller. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1921, its walls reflect several centuries of architectural history, from the earliest medieval foundations to the care lavished on the church during the Second Empire. What makes Saint-Martin truly unique is the visible superimposition of its different constructional layers. The choir, transept and former chapel - now converted into a sacristy - retain the austerity typical of 13th-century workshops, with their compact volumes and sober masonry in local ashlar. The north tower and apse, added at the beginning of the 14th century, introduce a slight Gothic inflexion into the overall composition, betraying the ambition of those who commissioned the work to bring their church into line with the canons of their time. The southern chapel is the jewel in the crown of the building. Built in the 16th century on the initiative of the de La Motte-Forte family, a noble family with deep roots in the region, it adds a Renaissance touch to this resolutely medieval ensemble. This type of seigneurial chapel, a veritable dynastic mausoleum, bears witness to the social prestige conferred by religious patronage in rural France at the time. A visit to Saint-Martin is an invitation to meditation and archaeological contemplation. Walking slowly through the nave, visitors can see the boundary between the ancient volumes and the modern 19th-century reconstruction, the result of the restoration campaign carried out in 1873. The contrast between the weathered stonework and the more recent renderings tells the story of the turbulent history of rural buildings in the face of the vagaries of time and resources. The village setting of Ennordres, between the hedged farmland and farmland of central Berry, reinforces the sense of timeless isolation that accompanies the discovery of this church. Away from the tourist crowds, it offers an intimate experience, conducive to reflection for lovers of medieval architecture as well as simple walkers in search of a change of scenery.
Architecture
Saint-Martin church has a Latin cross floor plan, with a central nave - rebuilt in the 19th century in a discreet neo-Gothic style - flanked by a transept and extended by a choir of medieval origin. This choir, which dates from the 13th century, retains the rigour of late Romanesque buildings in the Berry region: sober vaulting, narrow openings and carefully-cut masonry in local limestone. The polygonal apse, added at the beginning of the 14th century at the same time as the north tower, reveals a transition to the Gothic style, with its more pronounced ribs and slightly wider opening towards the light. The north tower is one of the most remarkable features of the exterior elevation. Massive and square at its base, it acts as a bell tower while reinforcing the silhouette of the building in the landscape of the Berrichon bocage. Its dressed stonework, geminated bays in the belfry and corner buttresses are typical of the regional Gothic vocabulary of the early 14th century. The south chapel, founded by the de La Motte-Forte family in the 16th century, is distinguished from the rest of the building by its more meticulous ornamental details, bearing witness to the influence of the Renaissance: moulding of the arches, treatment of the pilasters and plinths. Inside, the former chapel, which has been converted into a sacristy, retains its authentic medieval volumes. Despite the disparity of its construction periods, the building as a whole has a certain volumetric coherence, the result of a well thought-out layout and continuity in the choice of local materials.
Related Figures
Famille de La Motte-Forte — famille noble berrichone ayant fondé et financé la chapelle sud au XVIe siècleHeurtault — architecte et entrepreneur à Orléans, auteur de la restauration de l'église en 1873Saint Martin de Tours — saint patron de l'église, évêque évangélisateur de la Gaule au IVe siècle, dont le culte est omniprésent dans le Berry médiéval
