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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame de Ferrière-sur-Beaulieu, also known as the Church of Saint-Gilles, is a Catholic building located in the centre of the village, between the main street and the forest of Loches. Oriented west-east, it is bordered to the north by the communal cemetery. Its architectural history extends from the 11th to the 13th century, with subsequent changes.

The nave, partially built in the 10th or 11th century, was redesigned in the 12th century with its facade. The choir and vaults, dated from the 13th century, illustrate the Gothic style of the West, with carved warheads and keys (a bishop and the Virgin). A staircase turret was later added to the south wall. In the 18th century, work changed the bedside, interior and exterior.

The façade retains a gable from the beginning of the second millennium, taken over in the 12th century, and a door in the middle of the hanger decorated with palmettes. The nave, initially covered with a missing frame, houses murals on its north wall. A 17th century altarpiece and a bell of 1762, protected, complete its heritage. Enlisted for historical monuments on 11 July 1952, the church belongs to the commune.

Its architecture thus blends Romanesque (nef, facade) and Gothic elements (choir vaulted in angevin style), testifying to medieval artistic evolutions in Touraine. The movable objects, such as the altarpiece and the bell, underline its continuing role in local religious life.

The sources also mention archaeological and historical studies, particularly on the penetration of the Gothic around Loches, confirming its regional importance. The building, still a communal property, remains a notable example of the medieval tourist heritage.

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