I like to redo update these wonderful monuments in lovely Chinon, Let me tell you about the former church Saint Mexme of Chinon. The church is a marvel of architecture , history and know them is plenty for this road warrior traveler. Chinon is located in the Indre-et-Loire department, 37 in the Centre-Val de Loire region. 47 km from Tours, 30 km from Saumur, 80 km from Angers, 85 km from Poitiers, and 305 km from Paris, Also about 314 km (about 195 miles) from my house. We like to go on the D751 linked to Tours, which partly bypasses the city.
There are so many monuments in Chinon, and of course, plenty of churches; I will pick some as my historically incline favorites. Let me tell you a bit about them, and hope you enjoy the tour. We took a ride by car as hilly roads and my Dad Elio on wheelchair would have been difficult if impossible. We stop each time we reach a church !
The story goes that Grégoire de Tours, recounted the installation in the 5C of Mexme or Maxime disciple of Saint Martin, in a troglodyte hermitage in Chinon, east of the Roman castrum which will become the current castle, Saint Mexme would have founded a first church there, which serves center to a small monastery, transformed into a collegiate around the year 1000. The church was then rebuilt on a basilica plan, then enlarged from 1050 by the addition of a western massif comprising a narthex framed by two towers. In the 12C, the nave was extended to the west, a transept and a choir with an ambulatory and radiating chapels completed the transformation of the collegiate church into a vast pilgrimage building. A canonical quarter was built to the south of which some houses, as in rue Hoche, are still present.
Preserved in its entirety, the nave of the year 1000, built in a medium structure, has two levels of elevation: on the ground floor large semicircular arcades, on the upper level high windows also semicircular, underlined by a billet cord. Inside, the nave has always been framed. It is now covered with a false wooden vault dating from the 18C. During the restoration, murals were found under the arches of the high windows and some arcades. The western massif seems to have been added shortly after the construction of the nave, around 1050. It consists of a central part on two levels: on the ground floor, a semicircular vaulted narthex, animated by arcatures on the side walls, and on the first floor a vaulted gallery, enclosed behind towards the nave by a thin wall pierced by three bays. The south tower was completely rebuilt in the 15C, while the north tower was only raised by a symmetrical bell tower at the same time. The north tower now contains a beautiful 18C staircase which connects the ground floor and the first level.
In 1983, masonry work related to the restoration site made it possible to find a Romanesque painting from the 12C in the north chapel. This painting was deposited and is now on display at the nearby Church of Saint-Étienne (see post). This is the upper part of a representation of Christ in Majesty, framed by a Greek arch. At the bottom of the 18C staircase in the north tower, there is a representation of a saint, probably Saint Nicholas, passing his hand through a window to deposit a purse inside a house whose owner is reduced to poverty was preparing to deliver its daughters to prostitution. Under several arches of the nave, on the north side, scenes from the New Testament have been painted. Under the first arch is a Last Judgment, Christ the judge is seated on a throne below which are represented two angels playing the trumpet. Opposite there is a representation of hell, very erased. Under the following arch a story featuring armed men unfolds on several registers: it is undoubtedly a massacre of the innocents. On the ground floor of the south tower, rebuilt in the 15C, there is a monumental painted cycle representing on the one hand a Last Judgment, on the other a Fountain of Life, rare iconography illustrating the death of Christ for Redemption of the world. In addition, in a niche in the west wall is a depiction of God the Father surrounded by angels. This unrestored painting in the 19C brings together the whole cycle of the school active in Tours at the end of the 15C
The former collegiate church of Saint Mexme is now a cultural center: the nave of the year 1000 has housed a small wooden theater since 2002, which hosts summer shows, while the western massif hosts temporary exhibitions.
The Touraine Loire Valley tourist office on the former church :https://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk/cultural-heritage/saint-mexme-collegiate-church-chinon/
The City of Chinon and its heritage : https://www.ville-chinon.com/loisirs/tourisme-et-patrimoine/decouvrir-ma-ville/patrimoine-a-decouvrir
There you go folks, the nice historical and architecture of the former church of Saint Mexme of Chinon. This is wonderful ,splendid Chinon, a must to visit me think. We will be back for more soon. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 