Saint-Étienne de Loupes Church en Gironde

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Origin and history

Saint-Étienne de Loupes Church, located in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is a Romanesque religious building built in the 13th century. It is distinguished by its flat bedside, its narthex in medium apparatus and a sober nave, typical of Romanesque architecture. A narrow window adorns the sanctuary, while the capitals of the portal, now very eroded, once wore a vegetal decoration. The cornice modillons, carved with human heads and geometric motifs, reflect the artistic practices of the early 13th century, a time when moralistic representations had disappeared.

In the 17th century, a sacristy was added to the east of the bedside, and a cemetery cross was erected, adorned with sculpted heads today very degraded. The bell tower-wall, built in 1764, presents itself as a large arcade surmounted by a two bay campanile, protected by an awning. This type of bell tower, integrated with the nave, is characteristic of the Baroque or classical adaptations made to the Romanesque churches.

The 19th century restorations concerned the upper parts of the church, with the addition of a new sacristy south of the nave and a porch. These changes illustrate the preservation campaigns carried out under the influence of the heritage movements of the time. A canonial dial, visible on the south wall of the bedside, also recalls the liturgical and temporal uses of the building. The church, registered in the General Inventory of Cultural Heritage, thus embodies almost eight centuries of religious and architectural history.

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