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Origin and history

The Chapel of Châteaumeillant, originally named Church of Notre-Dame-la-Petite, is a Catholic religious building located in Place de la Mairie in Châteaumeillant, in the Cher department, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. His first mention dates back to 1115, in a papal bubble of Pascal II, where it is cited as a dependency of the Abbey of Deols. The present church, in style similar to that of Saint-Genès de Châteaumeillant, was mainly built between the late 11th and 12th centuries, including nave, transept, apse and two apsidioles. The bedside was enlarged in the middle of the 12th century by the addition of two intermediate apsidioles, while the apse was enhanced in the same period.

The bubble of Pope Innocent III in 1212 confirms his status as a castral chapel under the name "Ecclesiam sancti Stephani de Castro Melani et capellis suis et capellan sanctæ Mariæ". In 1488, Isabelle de La Tour d'Auvergne, wife of Arnaud Amanieu D'Albret, bequeathed by will funds to found a chapter of regular canons. This foundation was formalized in 1513 and 1520 by two bubbles of Pope Leo X, and then executed in 1517 by John of Albret, lord of Châteaumeillant. The transept is then enlarged at the expense of the choir, transforming the crumbs into vaulted chapels.

At the time of the Revolution, the church was disused: its bell tower was cut down, the nave converted into a merchant hall, and the transept cut to create rooms. In turn, it serves as a prison, a justice of peace, a marriage hall and then a town hall until 2005. The first southern absidiole was demolished in the late 19th century, while carved elements were re-used in local houses. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1914, the building preserves 13th century frescoes depicting scenes from the New Testament, visible in the abside.

The church is distinguished by its large stoneware work, its limestone frames, and a four-span nave. Its plan consists of a chapel with three staggered chapels (two to the north, one to the south), with cradle vaults or double edges. The building, owned by the commune, now houses traces of its conventual past, having welcomed Benedictines then regular canons from 1517. Its current use remains linked to the town hall, although some spaces have been renovated after 2005.

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