Église Saint-Martin

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The first church probably dates from the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th century. The interior reveal of the windows of the choir was probably remade at the time of the construction of the aisles of the church. On the eastern face is distinguished the line of a gable wall which rises above the vault of the choir, a reconstruction feature indicating that the strongroom is later, probably from the 14th century. From this period also, a five-sided turret, projecting and in line with the south wall of the church, buttresses the triumphal arch. It houses a spiral staircase in stone which allowed access to the strongroom from the nave. The west façade can be likened, from this period, to a bell tower wall. In the 16th century, becoming too small, the church is enlarged by two aisles in 1522. The central pillar is highly decorated. At each of its corners, a polygonal base with offsets bears two colonnettes interrupted by a frieze with foliage alternating with heads of figures and animals. From this period also dates the circular tower projecting in the south-west corner of the porch tower. During the Wars of Religion, the strongroom was partly demolished in the upper part, the vault collapsed and the porch tower lost its gable. From the 17th century onwards, a porch was built in front of the entrance to the church, and then this building was extended towards the south. A wing at right angles was added.