Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Étienne de Villandry, dedicated to the first Christian martyr, finds its origins in a chapel of the fifth century, destroyed around 1844. In the 11th century, a rectangular chapel of 9 m by 18 m was built, becoming the nave of the present church after the addition of the transept and choir at the end of the 12th century. Its location, halfway up the hillside and away from the Cher floods, reflects a desire for sustainability. The building shares architectural similarities with the parish church of Cormery, typical of the Touraine region.

In the 16th century, Jean Le Breton, then lord of Villandry, financed the addition of a large Gothic window in 1532. A window of 1543, representing the Resurrection and the Last Judgment, adorns the northern absidiole, commissioned by Anne Gedouin in memory of her deceased husband. These Gothic elements contrast with the original Romanesque structure, illustrating the stylistic evolutions of the period. The stained glass windows damaged during World War II were replaced in 1951 by Max Ingrand, master glassmaker in Paris.

The 19th century marked a period of renovation and enrichment. In 1828 Stéphanie Oudinot, wife of Baron Georges Tom Hainguerlot (owner of Villandry Castle), offered a stand organ, stained glass for the choir, altars and two bells. In 1887, a terracotta cross path, painted in Tours, was added to the nave. The organ, originally installed in 1859 by the parish priest Archambault of Pont-de-Ruan, was placed on the rostrum in 1868. These additions reflect the influence of the castle owners on the local religious heritage.

The interior architecture is distinguished by a dome of 6 meters in the cross of the transept, a rarity in Touraine, supported by finely carved 12th century capitals. Two crypts remain: the moon, under the southern transept, houses the lords of Villandry and welcomes in 1936 the coffin of Joachim Carvallo; The other, under the former chapel Saint-Roch (destroyed in 1844), served as a cellar after the Revolution. Outside, a 12th century ambon, used for medieval public announcements, remains near the portal.

The church, classified as a Historic Monument in 1926 (with an extension in 2011 for sacristy), thus blends Romanesque, Gothic and modern heritages. Its furniture elements, such as the 16th-century high-chair to baldaquin or 19th-century ceramic statues, testify to its continuous evolution. The recent restoration of the stained glass window in Saint-Louis (2019), saved in 1944, highlights the constant efforts to preserve this emblematic heritage of the Touraine.

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