The Church Notre Dame la Riche of Tours !!!

Posted in Europe, France

This was again on my road warrior trails of the Touraine and one beautiful architecturally and historical jewel that is Tours . Again, searching my cd rom vaults found me these pictures that should be in my blog for you and me. For info, the City of Tours i in the Indre-et-Loire dept 37 of the Centre-Val-de-Loire region of my belle France, Therefore, let me tell you about the Church Notre Dame la Riche of Tours !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The Church Notre-Dame-la-Riche is located in Old Tours on Rue Georges-Courteline, dates back to the 15C and is a historical treasure. The main portal, overlooks Rue Courteline, which was once a major thoroughfare between the city of Tours and the Château du Plessis-lès-Tours, the royal residence of Louis XI, who died there in 1483. On the exterior, the wide, flat apse and the distinct bays of the nave and chancel aisles, created by a double-pitched roof, give the church a unique appearance.

The Church Notre Dame la Riche houses a group of five 17C statues depicting the Marriage of the Virgin Mary with the High Priest, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Anne, and Saint Joachim, originally commissioned for the Minims convent near the Château de Plessis-lès-Tours. The church has several 16C stained-glass windows. The relics of Saint Francis of Paola are displayed in the reliquary on the north side wall. Among the church’s rich furnishings, the 17C gilded tabernacle in the center of the choir is particularly noteworthy. It depicts scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The choir also houses two altars designed in the 19C. The one dedicated to the Sacred Heart, located in the south aisle. Near the sacristy, a painting represents the four vows of Saint Francis of Paola, a Calabrian miracle worker and advisor to King Louis XI. In the adjacent bay, reliquaries hold the cremated remains of Saint Francis of Paola, exhumed and burned by Protestants in the 16C. At the entrance to the choir, two terracotta statues representing Saint Mark and Saint John are also worth mentioning. Sculpted in 1631 or 1632 they come from the Minims convent of Plessis, where they were once accompanied by representations of the evangelists Luke and Matthew. They were restored in 2010. The Crypt of Saint-Gatien is believed to be the last remaining vestige of the church built in the 12C. It is often called the “Crypt of Saint-Gatien” because, according to tradition, it was built on the very site of the saint’s tomb.

The nave, flanked by double side aisles, features a two-tiered elevation composed of large arcades and clerestory windows. The side aisles, as well as the entire eastern section, retain elements of earlier architecture. The chancel exhibits numerous irregularities in its vaulting, which could reflect the adaptation of the roof to a pre-existing structure or successive alterations. The ribbed vaults with prismatic moldings indicate a construction date between the late 15C and 16C. The keystones of the choir and the nave aisles are decorated with coats of arms, most of which have been defaced.

A bit of history tell us that Saint Lidoire built a church on the site of the Christian cemetery in the 4C. A church dedicated to Notre-Dame-la-Pauvre or Our Lady of the Poor is mentioned in the 10C on the site of the tomb of Bishop Saint Gatien. Texts attest to the existence of this church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Poor, from 920 onwards. The church was rebuilt several times. It has been known as Notre-Dame-la-Riche or Our Lady of the Rich since 1141. Only the Saint Gatien crypt remains of this church. The current church was rebuilt in the 15C, but on a smaller scale than the previous church. During the French revolution, the church was used to produce saltpeter. It was returned to religious use in 1798. The first restoration of the church was carried out between 1818 and 1820. The church was restored and partially rebuilt between 1860 and 1866. The current Church Notre Dame la Riche had in 1775, the so-called “Pillar of the Rich,” the last remaining above-ground section of the Romanesque building, was demolished. A true landmark in the town, it appears in numerous old photographs and other historical documents. Other work included the side aisles and the west and south portals, which were completely rebuilt. The exquisite ornamentation visible on the exterior walls largely dates back to 19C restorations. Other work involved the side aisles and the west and south portals, which were entirely rebuilt.

The Parrish of Notre Dame la Riche : https://paroisse-ndlr-scel.jimdoweb.com/

The City of Tours on its heritage : https://www.tours.fr/page-portail-tours-intense/tous-nos-sites/

The Tours tourist office on its heritage : https://www.tours-tourisme.fr/blog/vivre-la-ville/11-monuments-historiques-a-ne-pas-manquer-a-tours/

The Touraine Loire Valley tourist office on Tours: https://www.tourainevaldeloire.com/en/discover/our-destinations/touraine/tours-loire-valley/

There you go folks, another dandy City ,this isTours , of course lots more to see and enjoy this wonderful city of the Touraine. This was a nice walking tour of the City we enjoy on several occasions, and looking forward to be back, eventually, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Notre Dame la Riche of Tours !!! 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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