Church of Lieze à Chezelles en Indre-et-Loire

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Lieze, classified as a Historical Monument since 1941, has a complex structure resulting from several periods of construction. The northern wall of the nave, a vestige of the eleventh century, is the only remaining element of the early church given to the abbey of Beaumont. This wall contrasts with the south wall, rebuilt in the 16th century with three arcades intended for a collateral never finished. The west façade, which was rebuilt in the 12th century, has a curved portal with two rollers, without tympanum, while the square of the transept, also of the 12th century, supports a bell tower today reduced to its base.

The northern chapel, vaulted with prismatic warheads, dates from the 15th century, while the southern chapel, transformed into a sacristy on the ground floor, was built in the 16th century. The choir, an angeline style, is covered with arched warhead vaults decorated with keys carved by small characters. A 17th century retable partially masks a flat bedside window, framed by columns in crime. The bell tower-wall, pierced by two bays in the middle of the hanger, is served by a stone screw staircase housed in a semi-outwork turret, illustrating the successive additions that shaped the building.

The church, owned by the commune of Chezelles, is distinguished by its Latin cross plan, with a single-ship nave, a false-transeven formed by the lateral chapels, and a disoriented choir towards the north. The long-paned roofs, characteristic of the nave, transept, and choir, as well as the three gables discovered spreading from west to east, testify to its architectural evolution. The building, listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments, thus reflects almost six centuries of religious and local history, from its medieval origins to its Renaissance transformations.

External links