Eglise Saint-Pierre
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Pierre, located in Montlevicq (Indre), 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
- Montlevicq, Indre, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.5766, 2.0690
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097401
Nestling in the heart of the Bas Berry region, Saint-Pierre de Montlevicq church boasts a 12th-century Romanesque apse and a semi-cylindrical tiled roof, an absolute rarity in this region of slate and slate roofs.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Tucked away along the quiet lanes of the Indre, the village of Montlevicq conceals an architectural treasure that few travellers are aware of: Saint-Pierre church, whose golden stones tell the story of twelve centuries of rural faith and Berrich history. Listed as a Monument Historique since 1930, this apparently modest church reveals to the attentive observer a remarkable density of heritage, the result of the superimposition of several building campaigns spanning from the medieval Romanesque period to the post-Revolutionary reconstructions. What sets Saint-Pierre de Montlevicq apart is first and foremost its semi-cylindrical tile roof, known as canal or Roman tiles. In a region where roofs are traditionally covered in slate or flat tiles, this Mediterranean roof is an almost inexplicable curiosity, which no doubt contributed to the decision to list the building. Some specialists see in it the trace of Languedoc influences introduced by the monks of the abbey of Saint-Martin de Plaimpied, to whom the church belonged in the Middle Ages. The plan of the church follows the Latin cross pattern with three oriented apses, typical of the Berrichon Romanesque, which can be found in several buildings in the Cher and Arnon valleys. Of this original design, only the central apse has survived the centuries without major alteration, offering visitors an authentic experience of twelfth-century Romanesque art: regular bonding, sober Lombard arcatures, restrained but elegant modenature. A visit to Saint-Pierre invites you to take a stratigraphic reading of time. Each part of the building belongs to a distinct period: the central apse to the twelfth century, the tier-point door to the fourteenth-century Gothic, the chapel of Saint-Roch to the post-medieval reconstructions, and the present bell tower to the nineteenth century. This architectural palimpsest, far from being incoherent, provides a vivid account of the vicissitudes that have shaped France's past. For the photographer, the golden hour of the morning, when the low-angled light highlights the volumes of the apse and makes the canal tiles shimmer, offers images of striking beauty. For the historian, the squat silhouette of the replaced wooden bell tower, the scars left by the collapse of the stone bell tower, and the assumed modesty of this country church are a lesson in architectural history without equal in the Indre department.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Pierre in Montlevicq has a Latin cross plan with three oriented apses opening onto the transept, a typical 12th-century Berrichon Romanesque layout that can be found in several buildings in the region, particularly in the vicinity of the abbeys of Plaimpied and Déols. The central apse is the only part of this initial design that has survived intact: its simple forms, its carefully cut limestone rubble bond and any blind arcatures bear witness to the mastery of the Berrichon Romanesque masons, heirs to the building traditions of the Poitou region. The most striking feature of the building is its partial roof made of semi-cylindrical tiles, known as tuiles canal or tuiles romanes. Unusual in a country where blue slate dominates rural roofing, this Mediterranean technique is a survival or an exceptional import, perhaps linked to the monastic networks that linked Berry to the southern regions. The entrance door, pierced in the gable and covered with a pointed arch, illustrates the Gothic evolution of the 14th century, introducing a new verticality into the composition of the façade. The rest of the building reflects the successive alterations brought about by the collapse of the old stone bell tower: the raised nave, the rebuilt Saint-Roch chapel and the current bell tower, probably made of wood or light masonry, which discreetly tops the roof. This stacking of architectural layers gives Saint-Pierre a composite silhouette, endearing in its irregularity, that tells the story of a rural parish in the Berrich region that has had to deal with the vagaries of time and mankind.
Related Figures
Moines de l'abbaye Saint-Martin de Plaimpied — commanditaires présumés de la construction romane du XIIe siècleMaçons romans berrichons anonymes — bâtisseurs de l'abside et du plan en croix latineCurés de Montlevicq (XIVe siècle) — initiateurs des remaniements gothiques et de la porte en tiers-pointFabriciens de la paroisse (époque moderne) — responsables des reconstructions après l'effondrement du clocherRévolutionnaires locaux (1793-1800) — auteurs de la destruction du clocher en boisConservateurs des Monuments Historiques (1930) — artisans de la protection officielle de l'édifice
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Pierre located?
Eglise Saint-Pierre is located in Montlevicq, Indre department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Pierre built?
Eglise Saint-Pierre dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Pierre open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Pierre is currently closed to visitors.