The Church Saint Nicolas of Blois, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France

We have driven in the area and stop by again, always worth it me think, This is memorable City of Blois in the Loir et Cher dept 41 of the Centre Val de Loire region of my belle France, There is so much to see , and did see more for you and me, I have written plenty on this monument but more is always welcome by me ! Therefore, here is my take again on the Church Saint Nicolas of Blois, part II !!!  Hope you enjoy it as I.

I like to bring you to an area of much fanfare and visits very popular and one of its most emblematic castle. Oh did I say castle, well that was another post. The city of Blois is loaded with goodies to see and do, and I like to bring you more of the Church Saint Nicolas of Blois.

The Church Saint-Nicolas ,the former Saint-Laumer abbey church, it is the result of two campaigns of work, which took place at a pivotal period in the history of architecture, between Romanesque and Gothic art.

The Church Saint-Nicolas is a magnificent Romanesque church: the three levels of elevation of the nave are of a flawless purity, the interior architecture of the transepts is very harmonious. In the ambulatory and the radiating chapels, the contemporary stained glass windows create a unique atmosphere, bathed in a yellow or blue light, conducive to meditation.

The main portal built between 1186 and 1120 of the façade. The archivolt is made up of three voussoirs with figures. Originally, the portal was surrounded by six statues, now disappeared. The western façade is like no other: the three portals are dissimilar and surmounted by an elegant gallery of arcades that extends over the entire width of the façade. The majestic nave gives an impression of grandeur. which the narrowness of the bays further accentuates. Everything is coordinated so that the prayers rise to the sky without hindrance. The choir of Saint-Nicolas in all its Romanesque purity.  The semi-circular apse is supported by six pillars with capitals. The second level is made up of blind arcades in a pointed arch, while the third receives five stained glass windows by Max Ingrand in large openings. The Saint-Laumer chapel is the chapel of the baptismal font. The contemporary stained glass windows of the Pierre Gaudin workshop, immersed in Romanesque architecture, create a rather magical atmosphere.


The Church Saint-Nicolas-Saint-Laumer was originally the abbey church of a monastery built in the 12C. It takes the name of the founder of this abbey, Saint Laumer. Its construction began in the 12C. The choir, the transept and the first span of the nave are built from 1138 to 1186. The Church is finished at the beginning of the 13C. The church is in the Middle Ages an important place of pilgrimage. It is indeed home to several relics: Saint Lubin, Saint Laumer, Holy Mary the Egyptian and a fragment of the Cross of Christ. A small anecdote here: Jeanne d’Arc or  Joan of Arc spent a few days in Blois, at the end of April 1429, before the royal army left to rescue Orléans, which was under siege. She had her flag blessed there, in Saint-Sauveur, the former church of the Château de Blois which no longer exists and which was located next to the current Maison de la Magique.

The Church Saint-Nicolas has a long story as the oldest church in old Blois. The story goes that fleeing the Vikings, Benedictine monks from the monastery of Corbion in Perche, former province of the kingdom of France ,while the French revolution, the province of Perche was cutoff into parts for the dept of the Eure et Loir,Orne, and a small section for the dept of Eure found refuge in Blois in 924. In the 12C, they built a monastery there. Their abbey church will be the Saint-Laumer Church, the name of the founder of their first monastery. And, from this founder, they took away the relics. The true appellation of  Saint-Nicolas is therefore Saint-Laumer.However, popular call today Church Saint Nicolas, The story continues that from 1138 to 1186, the first part of Saint-Laumer was built: choir, transept and first bay of the nave. The rest is completed at the beginning of the following century. With the Wars of Religion, the church was damaged by the Protestants and the abbey destroyed. The latter was rebuilt in the 17-18C. During the French revolution, Saint-Laumer became the Hôtel-Dieu or hospital.

The City of Blois on the Church Saint Nicolas:https://www.blois.fr/annuaire/sites-culturels-remarquables/eglise-saint-nicolas

 The Blois Chambord tourist office on the Church Saint Nicolas of Blois:  https://www.bloischambord.co.uk/offers/eglise-saint-nicolas-blois-en-250270/

The Loire Valley regional tourist office on the Church Saint Nicolas of Blois:  https://www.bloischambord.co.uk/offers/eglise-saint-nicolas-blois-en-250270/

There you go folks, a dandy really, worth the detour in pretty Blois, There is more to this royal city and I am working on it to bring more beauties to my blog for the memories of always. This is one of the best religious monuments in Blois, me think. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Saint Nicolas, part II as I.

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

Unknown's avatar

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.

One thought on “The Church Saint Nicolas of Blois, part II !!!”

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.