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Origin and history

The collegiate Church of St.Mexma of Chinon found its origins in the fifth century, when St.Mexma (or Mesme), a disciple of St.Martin, settled in a troglodytic hermitage east of the Roman castrum of Chinon. He founded a first church, the nucleus of a monastery transformed into a collegiate church towards the year Mil. The building, rebuilt in basilical plane, is enlarged in 1050 by a western massif with two towers and a narthex, symbolizing the prestige of the canonial chapter. In the 12th century, the nave was extended, a transept and a choir to walk around were added, making Saint-Mexme a major place of pilgrimage.

After the Revolution, the collegiate church, the main church of Chinon until 1789, suffered degradation. In 1817, the collapse of the bell tower destroyed the eastern parts. The remains (nef and western massif) became a school until 1980. Excavations and restorations reveal wall paintings from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, Romanesque sculptures, and an exceptional sculpted decoration, such as the plant panels of the narthex or the frescoes of the Last Judgment in the south tower. Today, the site houses a wooden theatre (nef) and exhibitions (Western Massif).

The architecture mixes Romanesque and Gothic influences: the nave of the year Mil, with two levels of arcades in the middle, preserves a medieval structure and paintings hidden under the coatings. The western massif (1050) illustrates the Romanesque art tourangeau, with its harmonic facade, carved archatures and vaulted rostrum. The towers, rebuilt in the 15th and 18th centuries, house staircases and frescoes, such as the Fountain of Life (15th century), attributed to the school of Jean Fouquet. Contemporary stained glass windows (2006), created after Olivier Debré, interact with this millennium heritage.

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