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Origin and history

The church Saint-Roch de Bridoré, located in the Indre-et-Loire department in the Centre-Val de Loire region, is a religious building built in the 15th century. Originally it consisted of a nave, a bell tower and two side chapels, now missing. Only the choir, the apse and a rebuilt façade at the entrance of the choir remain, showing major changes. The foothills of the current facade take over the ripples of the walls of the old nave, revealing the footprint of the original structure.

The church is listed as historical monuments by order of 12 June 1926. His history may be related to Imbert de Batarnay, a 15th-century local figure, although his exact role in construction remains uncertain. A crypt discovered in 1880, housing three lead coffins of the Boursault family of Viantais (dated 1653 and 1704), is based on fragments of 15th century statues, suggesting a funeral reuse of space.

The building preserves remarkable elements: a statue of Saint Roch (16th century), found in 1938 in the foundations of the cemetery wall, and a bas-relief of Saint Hubert (last quarter of the 16th century), classified since 1907. This bas-relief, close to the school of Michel Colombe, measures 2.13 × 1.79 m and adorns the north wall. The vaults of the choir and the abside, in dogive arches, illustrate the late Gothic architecture of the region.

The location of the church, at the southern entrance of the town of Bridoré, far from the castle, and its east-facing choir, follow medieval traditions of religious urban planning. The remains and objects protected make it a partial but precious testimony of art and local devotion between the 15th and 17th centuries.

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