Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Martin de Doussay, located in the Vienne department in New Aquitaine, finds its origins in the Carolingian period (VIIIth century). It was initially attached to the Saint Martin Abbey of Tours. A text of 892 already mentions its existence, confirming its seniority. The cure depended on the chapter of Saint Martin de Tours, stressing its religious and historical importance in the region.

The present building presents major architectural elements of the 11th and 15th centuries. The nave, originally unique and without sideways, was probably covered in frame. The square of the transept, solid, rests on four square piles decorated with engaged columns. These columns support carved capitals representing a variety of motifs: human heads, birds, palmettes, or geometric figures such as sagittarius faced or rosettes. The arches of the arches frame an octagonal dome on trunks, while the choir, redone in Gothic times, preserves traces of its three semicircular apses of origin.

The facade, sober and gabled, is pierced by a door in basket handle dated from the 15th century, surmounted by a curved accolade. A large wooden awning leans against this facade, adding a characteristic element to the whole. The bell tower, whose base is Romanesque, was enhanced by a floor probably open in the late Middle Ages. Inside, the furniture includes a tabernacle decorated with a representation of the Sacred Heart framed by two angels, as well as three bells dating from 1642 and 1741.

Ranked a historic monument in 1984, the Church of St. Martin in Doussay illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of the region, from the Carolingian origins to the medieval changes. Its conservation allows us to study the construction techniques and artistic influences that have marked the Poitou through the centuries.

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