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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame d'Aigurande is a Catholic building located in the commune of Aigurande, in the department of Indre (Centre-Val de Loire region). Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, it illustrates a marked architectural evolution: the oldest walls date from the 11th and 13th centuries, while the bell tower, erected in the 15th century, and the upper parts of the bell tower as well as the lateral chapels, added in the 16th century, bear witness to successive transformations. The building, which had been listed as historic monuments since 12 June 1926, depended on the archdiocese of Bourges and the local parish.

The structure of the church is characterized by a unique nave of four spans, extended by a chorus and a flat bedside sanctuary, all vaulted on a dogive cross in the 14th century. The six side chapels (four to the north, two to the south, one closed) reflect later additions. The bell tower, raised in the late 16th century, houses a structure designed to support the bells, the oldest of which dates back to 1584. The names of the builders, Antoine Defaugères and Jean Moreau, appear on badges.

Among the remarkable elements, the high altar of Regency style (early 18th century) and the stained glass windows of the 19th and 21st centuries (workshop Lobin and Nathalie Desnoyers) stand out. Six paintings representing apostles, classified in the Palissy base, as well as a local legend related to a calyx flight in 1406, add a historical and cultural dimension to the building. The receiver, Geufroy Peletier, avoided execution thanks to letters of remission obtained in 1407.

The church, owned by the commune, is part of the landscape of the Boischaut Sud, a natural region of southern Indre. Its architecture thus combines medieval heritage, Gothic and Renaissance modifications, while preserving traces of local religious and artisanal practices throughout the centuries.

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