The church of Saint Martin, located in Jarzé-Villages (formerly Beauvau) in Maine-et-Loire, finds its origins in the 9th or 10th century with the foundation of a chapel dedicated to Saint Martin de Vertou. Ceded by the lord of Jarzé at Saint-Serge d'Angers Abbey, it became a parish around 1120, attracting a growing population. The reconstruction of the building, initiated by Geoffroy de Jarzé and completed by his son after 1137, gave rise to the present Romanesque nave, built in flint moellons. A crypt beneath the choir houses their graves, testifying to their role in this transformation.
The chorus, originally a novel, was radically reshaped between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, adopting sexpartite vaults and ogival openings to illuminate the nave. Two warhead windows are pierced on the south façade, while the west façade retains its Romanesque portal in the middle of the wall, adorned with saw teeth. These changes reflect the evolution of architectural styles and liturgical needs, while preserving archaic elements such as the narrow windows of the nave.
Ranked a Historic Monument in 1968, the church was the subject of a major restoration in 1958 by Abbé Bordeaux-Montrieux. Its altarpiece and structure, combining Romanesque and Gothic, illustrate nearly a thousand years of religious and seigneurial history in Anjou. The exact location, 2 Rue du Prieuré, confirms its anchoring in the historic village of Jarzé-Villages, now integrated into the eponymous commune.
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