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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame de Chauvigny was founded in 1020 by Isembert I, Bishop of Poitiers, upon his return from the Holy Places. Originally dedicated to the Holy Sepulcher, she took the name of Saint-Just in 1087 before being renamed Notre-Dame in 1822. Built in the heart of the lower village of Chauvigny, it is built in a context of remediation of the Talbat marsh valley and urban development around a Benedictine priory dependent on the Abbey of Saint-Cyprien in Poitiers. Its Romanesque architecture, marked by a nave in the center and a dome on trunks, is enriched in the 12th century by vaulted columns.

In the 15th century, the church enjoyed notable works, as evidenced by an exceptional fresco discovered in 1849 in the south arm of the transept. This work, restored by H. Hivonnait, represents Christianity supporting Christ under his cross, a unique iconographic theme in the department of Vienna. The style of the fresco, transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and an inscription of 1504 attest to its historical importance. The bedside, sober but elegant, and the carved capitals (attempt of Adam and Eve, claws confronted) illustrate the artistic quality of the building.

Ranked a historic monument in 1840, the church of Notre-Dame underwent major restorations in the 19th century, notably on its facade and nave. Among its treasures, an 18th-century painting by Giovanni Battista Lenardi, representing the Martyr of Saint Léger, is classified in the Palissy inventory. The building thus embodies almost a millennium of religious and artistic history, linked to the influence of the bishops of Poitiers, lords of Chauvigny, and to medieval monastic life.

Its parish role, confirmed in 1823, made it the only place of worship in the lower city after the Revolution. The modifications of the 18th and 19th centuries (inner paints, redevelopments) coexist with preserved Romanesque elements, such as cornice modillons or bedside columns. The church is part of a remarkable heritage complex, alongside the Collège Saint-Pierre and the five medieval castles of Chauvigny.

The geopolitical context of its foundation — between pilgrimages to Jerusalem, episcopal power and urban development — reflects the strategic importance of Chauvigny, juached on a rocky spur overlooking Vienna. The church Our Lady, through its history and frescoes, offers a rare testimony of piety and Poitevin Romanesque art, between anangelvin influences (the courtyard of King René) and local traditions.

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