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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Benoît d'Argenton-sur-Creuse is a 16th-century Catholic chapel in the Indre department, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. It was built at the initiative of Louis de Bourbon, seigneur of Argenton, and Antoine Barbault, prior of Saint-Marcel, in the upper city of Argenton. Originally it was the chapel of the neighbouring college, but was damaged when the road from Paris to Toulouse was built in 1740.

Disused after this work, it served as an annex to the local grain market. Sold as a national property in 1793, it was returned to the city in the year III (1794-1795) and used as a warehouse. The chapel was restored in 1873 under the direction of architect Alfred Dauvergne, then classified as a historical monument on 31 May 1944. Today, it houses temporary exhibitions.

The building preserves a 15th century virgin on its left flank. Its history reflects urban and political upheavals, from its foundation linked to education to its rehabilitation as a cultural space. The chapel also illustrates the evolution of the uses of religious buildings in France, between sacrality and secular functions.

Its location in the South Boischaut, south of Indre, and its ranking among historical monuments make it a major architectural and heritage testimony of the region. The sources available (Wikipedia, Monumentum) confirm its local importance and its anchor in the religious and civil history of Argenton-sur-Creuse.

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