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Church of St. Cyr of Vesdun dans le Cher

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Eglise
Cher

Church of St. Cyr of Vesdun

    14 Le Bourg
    18360 Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Église Saint-Cyr de Vesdun
Crédit photo : Peyot - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1115
First written entry
2e moitié XIIe siècle
Construction of the Romanesque building
1569
Fire of Saint-Symphorien
XVIe siècle
Addition of the side chapel
1861
Construction of the bell tower
14 janvier 1994
Registration for Historic Monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Church (Cad. AB 94): Registration by decree of 14 January 1994

Key figures

Antoine Goutault - Last Benedictine Prior Founded the lateral chapel in the 16th century
Jean Mauret - Craft glassware Author of modern stained glass windows (baths 0, 1, 2, 100)
Isidore Guillon - Curé of Vesdun (1879–93) Added two bells and restored

Origin and history

The Saint-Cyr church of Vesdun, mentioned in 1115 in a pontifical bubble as well as the Abbey of Deols, was originally the Conventual church of a Benedictine priory-curtain. The Romanesque building, without transept, consists of a rectangular nave extended by a flat apse, both dating from the second half of the 12th century. His frescoes, discovered in 1994 during restorations, illustrate scenes of Christ's childhood and adorn the vault of the choir.

In the 16th century, the church underwent major changes: a lateral chapel dedicated to the Virgin (formerly Saint-Antoine) was added to the south by Antoine Goutault, the last Benedictine prior, and the nave was covered with a vault in a crib. In 1569, after the fire of the parish church of Saint-Symphorien by Protestant troops, Saint-Cyr became the parish church of Vesdun. The current bell tower, built in 1861, houses a historic bell engraved with the names of the local patron saints.

The historic capitals of the apse and the modern stained glass windows of Jean Mauret (baies 0, 1, 2 and 100) complete this heritage. These stained glass windows, in warm tones, interact with the 12th century Romanesque frescoes, classified among the remarkable medieval painted decorations of the region. The building, a communal property, has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1994 for its architecture and painted decoration.

The history of the church reflects local religious upheavals: the transition from Benedictine worship to parish function after the Wars of Religion, and architectural adaptations (renaissance chapel, 19th century bell tower). The polychrome wooden statues (14th-15th centuries) and the commemorative plaque of Antoine Goutault testify to its evolution throughout the centuries.

External links