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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Saint-Germain de Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne Church, located in Indre-et-Loire, is a Catholic religious building built mainly in the 12th century. However, it incorporates much older elements: blocks in use dated the 8th or 9th century, as well as a northern nave wall dating from the late 9th or early 10th century. These remains suggest the existence of a basilica founded in the sixth century by Injuriosus, bishop of Tours from 529 to 546, to house relics of Germain d'Auxerre. The present church, first mentioned in 1129, was largely rebuilt in the 12th century, with additions as a sacristy in the 19th century.

The architecture of the church is characterized by a nave of three spans, the last two of which are vaulted in a western Gothic style, while the first preserves Carolingian and Romanesque traces. The choir, finished with a flat bedside, is directly attached to the nave, without transept. The bell tower, square, is surmounted by a stone arrow. Inside, graffiti evoking the shipwork and viticulture adorn the walls, and stones waiting for the dead, used to bless the coffins before the offices, are arranged near the gate.

Ranked a historic monument in 1908, the church also houses protected objects, including two retables, two altar paintings and two statues. Its location along Vienna reflects its historic importance for local communities, linked to both religion, river trade and wine-growing. The Carolingian vestiges and previous jobs are evidence of a continuing religious occupation since the early Middle Ages.

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