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Origin and history

The Abbey of Notre-Dame-la-Blanche, also known as Saint-Eusice, is an emblematic religious building of Selles-sur-Cher, in the Loir-et-Cher. Founded in the 12th century, it was rebuilt after successive destructions, notably by the Vikings in the 9th century. His history is intimately linked to that of Saint Eusice, a hermit of the sixth century whose holiness attracted the crowds and prompted King Childebert to erect a first church on his tomb.

Saint Eusice, born in 465 in Périgord, lived as a hermit near the Cher after serving as a serf in a monastery. His reputation for holiness, reinforced by miracles and a victorious prediction made to King Childebert in 541, led to the foundation of a monastery on his hermitage. The present abbey, rebuilt in the 12th century by Augustinian canons, blends Romanesque and Gothic styles after partial collapses and restorations, especially in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The building suffered serious damage over the centuries: partial destruction by the Protestant troops of Coligny in 1563, collapse of the vault of the choir, and transformations under the Feuillants in the 17th century. Ranked a historical monument in 1862, it was restored from 1882 by the architect Anatole de Baudot, who made it its original Romanesque aspect. Today, it preserves remarkable elements such as a crypt housing the tomb of Saint Eusice and carved friezes of the twelfth century illustrating his life and that of Christ.

Architecturally, the abbey is distinguished by its nave to collaterals, its transept surmounted by a pendant dome, and a bedside decorated with historical friezes. The main portal, perhaps from the Merovingian Basilica, and the capitals bear witness to its rich past. Despite the vicissitudes (falling in 1523, French Revolution), it remains a jewel of the religious heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire region.

The notable abbots include Saint Eusice himself, as well as figures such as Raymond Jordan (XIVth century) or Cardinal Jean-François de La Tremeille (XVth century). It is the property of the municipality and illustrates the evolution of religious and architectural practices, from the Merovingian origins to its modern restoration.

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