Church à Lézigneux dans la Loire

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Lézigneux, mentioned from the 11th century in the cartular of Savigny, is dedicated to Saint Martin and then to Notre-Dame from the 14th century. The current building, dating from the 15th century with works probably completed at the beginning of the 16th century, has a contrasting architecture between its northern and southern parts. It consists of a central nave of three spans, low sides, and a three-level bell tower overlooking the southern collateral. Built in granite and cut stone, the church has a broken arched portal and arches of warheads decorated with carved keys. The interior supports vary between columns, pillars and caps, while niches and closets are integrated into the walls.

Over the centuries, the church underwent several changes: the elevation of the walls, the addition of windows in the 18th century, and the disbursement of the floor in 1844. It became too small after the attachment of part of La Rivière-en-Lavieu in 1830, and was partially destroyed from 1889 to give way to a new church. Only the bell tower, used as a municipal prison, was kept until 1937. The old church, restored in 1970 and 1994, now serves as a communal space for exhibitions or events, while the adjacent calvary has been protected since 1947.

The factory records reveal minor works in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the enlargement of a northern window. The building, a communal property, illustrates the evolution of the religious and civil needs of a rural parish. Its architecture combines late Gothic elements (voûts, portal) and subsequent adaptations, reflecting the technical and social constraints of its time. The partial preservation of the bell tower bears witness to its symbolic importance to the community, despite the construction of a new building.

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