The Notre-Dame Church of Richelieu, part I !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Ok so I finally came to Richelieu, the town of the Cardinal of France! This is a small but amazing town that needs to be seen; in my road warrior trips always by passed it until now. There will be a series of posts, and I finish with the Notre Dame Church of Richelieu, part I !!!. Hope you enjoy it as I.  

The town of Richelieu is located in the department of Indre-et-Loire no 37, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. On the borders of Touraine, Anjou and Poitou, the city now borders the department of Vienne no 86 and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Richelieu is located south of Chinon, west of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine in the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Natural Park. In addition, the city of Richelieu belongs to the canton of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, which takes place within the district Chinonnais, in the department of Indre-et-Loire,no 37 in the Centre-Val de Loire region,

I had told you about the history and other things to see in my other post Curiosities of Richelieu; so let me tell you now about the Notre Dame Church of Richelieu !!!

Richelieu ch Notre Dame front feb22

Richelieu ch Notre Dame left side out feb22

The Notre-Dame Church was built in the classical style between 1633 and 1639, In ​​1638, the cardinal made an agreement with the Lazarists to take over the running of the parish. The statues of the four evangelists were commissioned in 1761. The French revolution removed the altars and the cardinal’s coat of arms, particularly on the pediment and above the main door, but also inside the church. The church houses an organ built in 1853 by Louis Bonn, a Bavarian organ builder who immigrated to France. it was renovated in 1994. It is the only instrument of this organ builder never modified since its construction.  The transept is formed by a span wider than the others. The two chapels placed at the back of each of the collaterals are decorated with sculptures, painted ceilings and altarpieces.

Richelieu ch Notre Dame altar feb22

Richelieu ch Notre Dame organ back feb22

This is an amazing church yet not much written on it. I took several sites and the brochures in the church to compose the post. I say its worth the detour just for the church alone! It is located in the Place du Marché facing the Halles.  The Notre Dame Church consists of a large central nave flanked by two aisles. The transept is formed by a span wider than the others. The two chapels placed at the back of each of the collaterals are decorated with sculptures, painted ceilings and altarpieces. In elevation, the interior layout follows a Doric order whose entablature receives the stone vaults. The main facade is decorated with two superimposed orders, with niches on each side of the door and the central window.

Richelieu ch Notre Dame pulpit to chapel right side feb22

Of ancient inspiration (Doric pilasters, pediment, metopes, reminiscent of Greek temples) it stands out from the region’s often Romanesque or Gothic churches. This church is remarkable for its imposing size compared to the rest of the city. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption or Notre Dame de l’Assomption.

Richelieu ch Notre Dame chapel St Joseph et child feb22

Richelieu ch Notee Dame chapel virgin et child feb22

The main Altar is from the 18C. The side alters, one of which is dedicated to St. Vincent who’s contract with the cardinal provided the first priests for the parish. From 1638 to 1640, St Vincent often came to Richelieu, he called there in 1639, the Sisters of Carity who will come to treat the sick.

Richelieu ch Notre Dame chapel St Vincent feb22

The Baptismal font is original! It is of Jesuit style, in the heart it has marble columns, behind it, a sacristy with beautiful restored woodwork, we see a portrait of the architect of the city, Jacques Lemercier.

The city of Richelieu and its heritage : https://www.ville-richelieu.fr/culture-tourisme-patrimoine/un-peu-dhistoire/

There you go folks, a dandy beautiful place to see architecture and history of France before you intact for the most part since the 17C! Richelieu is nice, the Cardinal at least here did a good job!  The Notre Dame Church makes worth it the visit here alone. Again ,hope you enjoy the post on the Notre Dame Church of Richelieu,part I !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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