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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Puy-Ferrand, located in the hamlet of Puyferrand on the commune of Châtelet (Cher, Centre-Val de Loire), is the former abbey church founded in the 11th century by the lords of Deols. Originally occupied by canons of Saint-Augustin, its existence was attested as early as 1070. The building, classified as a historical monument in 1911, presents architecture combining elements of the twelfth century (a Romanesque nave with exposed structure, west facade decorated with carved modillons and capitals) and additions of the thirteenth century, such as the doubling of the nave south side to accommodate the faithful parishioners, forming the chapel Saint-Blaise.

In the 13th century, the increase in population – linked to the charter of release of 1204 – led to the modification of the last third of the nave to meet the needs of parish worship. A broken gate is provided for direct access from outside. The wars of Religion marked the building for a long time: in 1569, the Duke of the Deux-Ponts flambé the abbey, partially destroying the semi-circular bedside of origin, later replaced (1595) by a flat bedside where the primitive window was re-installed in full hangar. The abbey, placed as a beginning, stopped welcoming monks after the 16th century.

The restoration undertaken at the end of the 17th century by the merchant abbot Pierre Gaussens transformed the church: the nave received an ogival vault, the abbey house and the cloister were rebuilt. In the 19th century, the nave was opened on the south side to communicate with the chapel Saint-Blaise, while the central abside, destroyed at the beginning of this century, was replaced by a right wall. The square bell tower, overtaking a dome on pendants, dates from the 12th century. The building preserves remarkable elements such as sacraries (sided recedes of the choir), a polychrome wooden pietà, and a 17th century painting depicting Simon Stock receiving the scapular.

The church illustrates the architectural and religious evolutions of the region, moving from a monastic place to a parish church. Its western portal, divided into three horizontal areas (blind arcades, diamond tympanum, billet cord), and Roman modillons bear witness to its medieval heritage. The stalls of the seventeenth century, from the Priory of Orsan, and the traces of the fires of the Wars of Religion recall its turbulent history, between destruction and reconstruction.

The church of Notre-Dame de Puy-Ferrand, which has been a historic monument since 1911, now belongs to the commune of Châtelet. His original plan – a carpented nave, transept to absidioles, a revamped choir – and his decorations (chapitals with agricultural motifs, geminous bays of the bell tower) make him a significant example of the Cher's religious heritage, marked by the transitions between novels, gothic and modern restorations.

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