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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Crépin-et-Saint-Crépinien, located in Azay-sur-Indre (Indre-et-Loire), has its origins in the 12th century, although its present structure is mainly the result of changes in the 15th and 16th centuries. Built halfway up a hill overlooking Indre, it is located in a historic village surrounded by ancient houses. Its architecture combines a Romanesque nave, a Gothic choir without transept, and a square bell tower topped by a 16th century belfry. A southern side chapel, added in the middle of the 16th century, enriched the building with flamboyant bays and a curved cradle vault decorated with caissons.

The interior of the church reveals a superimposition of painted decorations, including a 13th century trompe-l'oeil imitating a masonry, later covered by funeral motifs of the 16th and 18th centuries. Among the notable furnishings are a 16th century Virgin, a 17th century Christ, and an altar of the same century. The structure of the choir, partially resumed in the 16th century, contrasts with the arches of the nave. A bell named Crepin, melted in 1785 and recast in 1876 after a crack, bears an inscription dedicated to the wife of the Marquis de La Fayette, local lord.

Ranked a historical monument in 2006 (except for the sacristy), the church illustrates the architectural and artistic evolution of a rural building, marked by construction and decoration campaigns ranging from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The erased coat of arms of the Jussac family, lords of the Folaine in the 16th century, recall the feudal ties of the building with the local nobility. Its late inscription among protected monuments highlights its heritage value, both for its architecture and for its stratified interior decorations.

The site, owned by the commune, is part of a landscape shaped by the Indre Valley, reflecting the religious and social history of the Touraine. Historical sources, including the work of Bernard Briais and Jean-Mary Couderc, document his central role in community life, from medieval cultural practices to post-revolutionary transformations. The murals, statues and liturgical furniture show cultural continuity, despite successive changes.

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