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Origin and history

The Saint-Étienne church of Dun-sur-Auron, founded in 1019 by the chapter of Bourges, is an ancient collegiate church whose oldest parts (chœur, walk-through, radiant chapels) date from the 1st quarter of the 12th century. His atypical plan, with a wide walk in Berry, is explained by his proximity to the Grand Chemin Royal de Bourges in Lyon, a medieval route taken by pilgrims, merchants and roadmen. The local stone, a reddish ferruginous limestone, gives the building a distinctive tint, while the capitals, carved in Charly stone, combine vegetal motifs and monstuous figures inspired by the Poitou.

In the 14th century, important works transformed the church: the bell tower was erected in 1397 by the chief builder Pasquault, financed by the inhabitants, and the dogid vaults replaced the Romanesque cradle. The 15th and 16th centuries saw the addition of lateral and axial chapels, but the building suffered damage during the Wars of Religion (fires in 1562, 1568, 1569, 1589/1590), requiring repairs. In the 17th century, a fire in 1601 damaged the bell tower, rebuilt without its original arrow. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1840, the church enjoyed restorations in the 19th century, including wax paintings in the absidial chapel.

The interior architecture reveals a clear plan: a nave of five spans, a choir with a walkway, and three chapels radiating with historic capitals (bible scenes, symbolic animals such as elephant or lyre donkey). Poitevin and saintongeese influences are palpable, especially in modillons and arcatures. Lateral chapels, added between the 15th and 17th centuries, house Gothic-Renaissance transition retables, frescoes (including a fire-free Virgin of Lorette), and glass windows partially rebuilt after the Huguenote destruction. The bell tower, repaired after 1569 and restored in 2002, preserves an altered trilobed door in the 18th century to facilitate processions.

The building also illustrates the liturgical changes: the jube was shot down in 1737 to "lighten" space, while the organs, installed in 1630, were replaced in 1858 and restored in 1974 and 1998. The chapels reflect local life, such as that of butchers (cutlers with knives and beef heads) or stone tailors (chambers in key). The statue of Saint Solange, patron saint of Berry, recalls the regional anchoring of this monument, a witness of pilgrimages, religious conflicts and Romanesque art in transition to Gothic.

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