First mention of the church 1119 (≈ 1119)
Church attested as priory-cury dependent of Cormery
vers 1400
Construction of the western facade
Construction of the western facade vers 1400 (≈ 1400)
Flamboyant Gothic portal and remp window
12 octobre 1952
Protection of the apse and choir
Protection of the apse and choir 12 octobre 1952 (≈ 1952)
Registration for Historic Monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The apse and the choir: inscription by order of 12 October 1952
Key figures
Cardinal de Richelieu - Prior of Coussay
Frequent stays in the priory in the seventeenth
Origin and history
The church of Our Lady of Coussay was attested as early as 1119, linked to the abbey of Cormery on which his priory-curtain depended. This partially Romanesque monument preserves an apse in hemicycle decorated with carved capitals representing characters, animals and plant motifs. The doubles are based on half-columns, testimonies of 12th century architecture.
The western facade, dated around 1400, illustrates the transition to the flamboyant Gothic. Its basket handle portal, topped by a flowered accolade arch, and the top-placed window reflect this period. The first three spans of the nave, later redone, contrast with the medieval parts. Leabside and the choir, protected since 1952, also recall the frequent stays of Cardinal de Richelieu, Prior of Coussay.
The site, a communal property, thus blends Romanesque and Gothic heritage, while evoking local religious history, marked by links with Cormery Abbey and the figure of Richelieu. The protected elements underline the heritage value of this building, still anchored in the Vienna landscape.
