Let me tell you about a dandy in my road warrior rounds in the wonderful sublime Loire Valley. This is a spot have passed by several times but never in it until now; as the saying goes better late than never!, I came this week and took nice pictures for you and me. It was a great experience, and always looking forward to be back, eventually, This time let me tell you on the Church Saint Laurent of Montlouis sur Loire !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Church Saint-Laurent original was replaced in the late 11C and early 12C by a single-nave church, of which the base of the bell tower and the half-domed choir still remain. The church also has 20C stained-glass windows, including one depicting the bombing of the Montlouis-sur-Loire bridge in May-June 1944. From the exterior, the church appears relatively imposing, with a single nave bordered on the right and left by two wide bays. A remarkable 16C sundial adorns one of the exterior walls, as does a strange representation of a barge. It must be said that since the Loire river was not far away, the town was made up of many mariners and traders.
The stained-glass windows in the choir link the Passion of Christ with the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket of 1859. The latter had agreed to reconcile with Henry II Plantagenet during a meeting that took place in Montlouis on October 12, 1170. He was nevertheless assassinated by the king’s men in his cathedral at Canterbury on December 29. In the side aisles, are created a set of 8 stained-glass windows in 1903-04, some dedicated to the theme of the Rosary , and others to different historical episodes linked to the parish of Montlouis, in the spirit of the stained-glass windows created four decades earlier. Thus, one can see the foundation of the Church Saint-Laurent by Saint Perpet in the 5C, the stay of Saint Brice on his return from Rome in 437, or a Montlouisian (local) recovering the use of speech in front of the tomb of Saint Martin in Tours . Half a century later, it was created the large western glass roof , depicting, around the Immaculate Conception, episodes from WWII: the bombing of the Montlouis bridge (May-June 1944) and the Masses celebrated in the Courtemanche cellars, transformed into shelters (June-July 1944). These were done some by Julien-Léopold Lobin and most by Lux Fournier,
The first building around which the inhabitants gathered was a religious building. It was Saint Perpet, Bishop of Tours at the end of the 5C, who founded a chapel dedicated to Saint Lawrence in Montlouis. This modest construction was replaced at the beginning of the 12C by a stone church. From this period remain the vaulted choir and the base of the bell tower. The church was enlarged in the 15-16C. In 1870, then in 1902, during the restoration and embellishment works,establish ribbed vaults inside the church. It was in 1881, that the municipal council decided in its meeting of February 18, 1881 to proceed with the inscription of the republican motto which usually adorns the City/town halls.
A bit of history I like tell us that a chapel was served from 461 to 491 by Saint Perpet of Tours, Bishop of Tours, on a site overlooking the hillside protected from the floods of the Loire. It was in Montlouis that peace was signed on September 30, 1174 between the King of England Henry II and his rebellious sons. During the Hundred Years’ War, from September 7 to 11, 1356, during the Ride of the Black Prince, the town was pillaged for three days by the English. The Renaissance marked a golden age. During the French revolution, the town, then simply called Montlouis, provisionally bore the name of Monloire or Mont-Loire. In 1920, the name of the town was changed to Montlouis-sur-Loire. At the beginning of the Third Republic, the Republicans sought to impose the power of the State over the Church. In 1880, the motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” was officially adopted and quickly adorned the pediments of public buildings. To affirm the subjugation of the clergy, some churches saw the motto inscribed on their pediments. This movement of republican inscriptions was renewed after the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State. Perhaps it was to affirm the church as public property that the inscriptions “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” and “French Republic” were engraved on the facade, which usually adorn City/town halls.
Other things to see here are the Presbytery is a former 16C mansion, it is said to have housed the love affairs of Henri IV and Gabrielle d’Estrées. Adorned with dormer windows topped with sculpted gables set with a shell, the building is a testament to Renaissance art. Leaving the town it was time to fuel up and we did at Super U et Drive, 46 Av. Victor Laloux, 37270 Montlouis-sur-Loire for cheaper gas prices,
The Parish of Saint Laurent Saintes Marie of Montlouis sur Loire on the church : https://paroisse-slsm.fr/
The town of Montlouis sur Loire on its history/heritage : https://www.ville-montlouis-loire.fr/historique-de-la-ville/
There you go folks, another dandy in my Loire Valley road warrior trails on Montlouis sur Loire, plenty to see here. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church Saint Laurent of Montlouis sur Loire !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 