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Origin and history

The Saint-Christophe Church of Saint-Christophe-sur-le-Nais is the result of several construction campaigns from the 11th to the 18th century. Originally, it belonged to a Benedictine priory dependent on the abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur, as evidenced by a donation of 1069 by Hugues III d'Alluye and his wife Richilde. The original building, dated from the end of the 11th century, preserves a semicircular apse with fish-scale appliances, typical of Romanesque art, as well as a 12th century chapel rebuilt in the 15th century. The choir, vaulted with warheads in the 13th century, was reserved for monks, while the nave, later added (XIIIth–XIVth centuries?), welcomed parishioners, according to a division attested by a text of 1219.

In the 14th century, the southern part of the early church was destroyed to give way to a large vessel, while in the 16th century, a north collateral and a walled frame decorated with painted medallions were added. The bell tower, built at the southwest corner in the 15th century, is attributed to the parish priest Jehan Delaunay (in function in 1505), whose name appears on a foothill. The 17th and 18th centuries saw mainly interior arrangements, such as the meeting of the two buildings in 1700 by an arcade in basket handle, or the installation of baroque altarpieces partially obstructing access to the apse. The murals (nave, choir) and stained glass windows, as well as the sculpted caps of human heads or coat of arms, illustrate this artistic stratification.

The present church results from the fusion of two distinct spaces: one monastic (choir and chapels Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Léonard), and the other parish (nef and lower side). This rare dualism is documented by medieval sources specifying the times of mass and the use of altars. The restorations of the years 1990–1997 preserved this complex heritage, where there are mixed Romanesque elements (binocular columns of the choir), Gothic (ogival vaults, rosace), Renaissance (painted carpents) and classical (retables). The classification of Historic Monuments in 1942 underscores its historical and architectural value.

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