Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Mesland, located in the eponymous village in the Centre-Val de Loire region, has its origins in the 11th century, with a foundation attested in 1060. This Romanesque monument consists of a unique nave, a narrower choir than the nave, and a flat bedside. Its modest architecture reflects the characteristics of the rural churches of that time, with a square bell tower erected on a span of the choir, pierced with bays in the middle of the hangar and adorned with a column arching that was later rebuilt.

The portal, dated the 12th century, is the most remarkable element of the building. It is distinguished by its archvolts in the full concentric hanger, each of which is individually carved of flat heads. These archvolts are based on four columns with finely worked capitals, representing claws and griming heads. This portal, classified Historical Monument by decree of 16 September 1946, illustrates the local Romanesque art and the know-how of the stone tailors of the time.

The church, owned by the municipality of Mesland, retains a simple but emblematic structure of the rural religious buildings of the Middle Ages. Its history is closely linked to that of the village, whose community and spiritual life it has marked for more than nine centuries. The location of Mesland, in the department of Loir-et-Cher, makes it a witness to the religious and architectural heritage of the region Centre-Val de Loire.

External links