The Church Saint Denis of Amboise !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Let me tell you about a dandy in my road warrior rounds in the wonderful sublime Loire Valley. This is a spot have come several times all over the town, I came by again this week and took nice pictures for you and me. It was a great experience, and always looking forward to be back, eventually, Do read my several posts on the City in my blog, This time let me tell you on the Church Saint Denis of Amboise !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The splendid monumental altarpiece on the high altar of the Church Saint-Denis dates from the 17C. In the center is a painting of the Holy Family. Four statues adorn the altarpiece. From left to right: Saint James, Saint Denis (who, according to legend, holds his head in his hands after his beheading), an Archbishop of Tours, and Pope Urban VIII. In the upper section, two praying angels gather before a stone sculpture representing the Heavenly Father.

The back wall of the southern aisle is occupied by a sculpture representing the Entombment, An exceptional atmosphere of contemplation surrounds the beautiful Entombment in the south aisle, built in the 16C. The magnificent polychrome stone Entombment comes from the Bondésir Chapel in Montlouis. It was commissioned by Superintendent Philibert Babou, Lord of La Bourdaisière, and is said to depict members of his family. Note the figures’ clothing and drapery. Joseph of Arimathea (holding Jesus’ head) and Nicomedes (at the feet) are richly dressed,

The south aisle was doubled in the 16C and the collapsed bell tower was rebuilt in the 18C. The 19C entrance, with arches decorated with foliage, is surmounted by an angel’s head and a statue of Saint Denis. In addition to sculptures and paintings, the interior has sculpted capitals. One of them evokes the Roman de Renart, a compilation of writings from the 12C.

The Church Saint Denis is located at the foot of the Châteliers oppidum, the first inhabited settlement from prehistory to the end of Antiquity. In the Middle Ages, the inhabited areas moved towards the Loire Valley, and the medieval town was built around the church. Originally, the church was a place of pagan worship ,probably dedicated to the god Dionysus. In the 4C, Saint-Martin founded a basilica there. In 1107, Hugh I of Amboise, Lord of Touraine, began construction of the current church to replace an oratory built by Martin of Tours, The church in its initial configuration, took the form of a Latin cross with a nave, a transept, and an apse. Very quickly, the nave’s side aisles took on the width of the transept. On the other side of the transept, two apses, on either side of the choir, completed the church’s volume before a second aisle, to the south, was built.

The city of Amboise on its heritage: https://www.ville-amboise.fr/88/monuments-a-visiter.htm

The Amboise tourist office on its heritage: https://amboise-valdeloire.com/en/history-of-amboise/

The local Val de Loire tourist office on Amboise : https://www.tourainevaldeloire.com/en/discover/towns-and-villages/amboise/

There you go folks, another dandy in beautiful Amboise, plenty to see here see my other posts on it. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church Saint Denis of Amboise !!! 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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