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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance d'Orléans, built at the beginning of the sixteenth century (1513-1519) under the direction of the masterpiece Jean Mynier, replaces a primitive chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours, dated the eleventh century. It is erected on the site of an old tower of the Roman enclosure of the suburb of Avenum, after the decommissioning of the ramparts. His name evokes both the protection of the sailors of the Loire and the liberation of Orléans by Jeanne d的Arc in 1429.

The church, originally parish, suffered extensive damage during the wars of Religion (1562), including the destruction of its vaults and bell tower. Partially rebuilt in the 17th century with wooden frames imitating ogival vaults, it is restored several times, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. Ranked a historic monument in 1918, it houses a 16th century stained glass window classified in 1904 and an organ of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll acquired in 1863.

In the 19th century, the church was enriched with neo-Renaissance altars and paintings by parish priest Louis-Eugène Clesse. After decades of abandonment (1980-2008), it is now dedicated to traditionalist worship (tridentin rite) and is the subject of restoration campaigns, especially for its organ and roofs. Its bell tower, with a manual carillon unique in Orléans, and its five bells (including a 1019 kg bumblebee) testify to its central role in religious and community life.

The building, marked by its flat bedside and irregular rectangular plan, incorporates architectural elements of the sixteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Its north Renaissance portal, its high altar window (infancy scenes of Christ) and its furniture, as a 17th century painting classified in 2001, make it a major heritage place. Close to the port of Orléans, it was historically linked to the sailors and river activities of the Loire.

The church toponymy also reflects its connection to the Gospel (the feast of the Recovery of Jesus in the Temple) and its role in local devotion, especially for the family of missionary Isaac Jogues, whose members are buried there. Since 2008, it has hosted the traditionalist parish of Orléans, conferred on the Institute of Christ the Sovereign King Priest.

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