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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-la-Riche de Tours came into being in the fourth century, when Saint Lidoire erected a first church on the site of a Christian cemetery. In the tenth century, a church dedicated to Notre-Dame-la-Pauvre was attested near the tomb of Saint Gatien, bishop of Tours. This place of worship, rebuilt several times, adopts the term Notre-Dame-la-Riche as early as 1141, although only the crypt Saint-Gatien remains of this medieval period.

The present building was completely rebuilt in the 15th century, on a reduced plane compared to the previous Romanesque church. In 1562, the Protestants destroyed him, damaging the nave and the collaterals. Partial restorations took place before 1570, but the apparent structure and brick vaults were not completed until the 19th century. During the Revolution, the church was converted into a saltpeter factory (1791) before being returned to worship in 1798. A first restoration campaign took place between 1818 and 1820.

The major transformation occurred between 1860 and 1866, under the direction of architect Gustave Guérin. The latter raised the nave, the brick vault, and rebuilt the western and southern gates in a neo-Gothic style. The tympanes and statues are then carved by Trodoux. The interior decor includes 17th-century statues (such as The Marriage of the Blessed Virgin by Antoine Charpentier) and 16th-century glass windows. The church, classified as a historical monument in 1926, also houses the relics of Saint Francis of Paul.

The oldest remains, such as the pillar of La Riche (destroyed in 1775), recall the 12th century Romanesque church. The painter Jean Fouquet, a major figure of the Tourangelle Renaissance, would have contributed to his decor. Despite the successive destructions and reconstructions, the church retains medieval elements, such as its crypt, and illustrates the architectural and cultural evolution of Tours over more than a millennium.

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