Château de Plaincourault

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 seigneurial chapel is independent of the castle and stands outside the property. It is a 12th-century building, complete except for the Poitevin-style spire which is now destroyed. Internally, the nave is covered with a broken barrel vault. The bays are separated by broken ribs resting on columns with sculpted capitals. A narrower choir precedes a circular apse, vaulted with a cul-de-four. The entire surface is covered with 12th-century frescoes. At the centre, God and the Tetromorph. Below, a crucifixion and a descent from the cross, Adam and Eve and an effaced subject, figures appearing to be lords and a scene from the life of Saint-Eloi. In the vault, a fox plays the violin before a cock. The Christ, the crucifixion and Adam and Eve appear to date from the late 12th century. The Descent from the Cross and the legend of Saint-Eloi are from the 14th century. The figures appear to be from the 15th century and the rest of the paintings, including the decorative scheme, have been reworked at various periods, from the 12th to the 15th century.