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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Aventin, located in Vendeuvre-du-Poitou in Vienna, is a religious building whose oldest parts date back to the 12th century. Its bell tower and the west and south gates, dating from the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, bear witness to this period. The church underwent major changes in the 16th century, including the addition of chapels and the resumption of the upper parts of the bell tower. These changes reflect the architectural evolution and liturgical needs of the time.

In the 18th century, an earthquake in 1704 damaged the stone arrow, which was definitely destroyed by a hurricane in 1866. The remains were sold at auction, and the lack of financial resources delayed repairs until 1945. Despite some ad hoc work, structural disorders, including cracks and falls of coating, led to its closure in 2008 for safety reasons. The problems were related to the untriangulated frame and tile cover, which exerts pressure on the walls.

Between 2010 and 2012, important restoration work was undertaken to consolidate the choir and the nave. The frame and cover were completely rebuilt, the lattice and brick vaults replaced by a wooden vault, and modern fittings (lighting, heating, sounding) were installed. The church, whose bell tower and southern gate have been classified since 1923, reopened in December 2012. It houses remarkable elements such as archaic capitals, eighteenth-century paintings, a 17th-century altarpiece and a 1924 memorial window dedicated to First World War soldiers.

The church is built in part with reuse materials from the Gallo-Roman site of the Tours-Mirandes. Its atypical plan includes a two-vessel nave, a bell tower and a choir enlarged in the 16th century by a chapel. The flat bedside, pierced by a triplet, and the Plantagenet-type domicical vaults illustrate the various architectural influences of the building.

Ranked a historic monument in 1923 for its bell tower and southern gate, the church was listed in 1927 for the rest of the building. These protections emphasize its heritage importance and its role in local history. Today, it remains a place of worship and memory, accessible to the public after decades of preservation and restoration.

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