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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais du Grand-Pressigny, built mainly in the 12th century, presents a Latin cross plan with a main nave and a northern collateral. Its walls, partly made of coated woollon and cut stone, contain various arches: warheads, cradle in the middle of the skin, and a tube dome on the square of the transept. The choir and the three adjacent spans date from the 12th century, while the nave and the north side, redesigned, date back to the 14th century. The bell tower, rebuilt in the 16th century, is surmounted by a polygonal arrow added in the 17th century.

In the sixth century, Grégoire de Tours already mentions a church on this site, receiving relics from Saint Nicet. Construction of the current building began in the second half of the 12th century. In the 15th century, the bell tower was rebuilt, and the north arm of the transept destroyed, while the nave was redesigned with two ships. A seigneurial chapel is added between the bedside and the south arm of the transept. In the 16th century, the south arm of the transept was destroyed, and a chapel dedicated to Robert Chesneau, a priest, was built in 1552.

In 1636 Pierre Brulart de Sillery, Baron du Grand-Pressigny, ordered the construction of a belfry and a frame arrow, made by the carpenter Jacques Poitou. The seventeenth century also saw the addition of a chapel south of the nave. In the 19th century, a staircase serving the bell tower was built. Finally, in 1913, a major restoration restored their primitive appearance to the choir, the square of the transept and the last span of the northern collateral, including the Romanesque windows and the inner columns.

The church, classified as Historical Monument in 1926, thus illustrates a continuous architectural evolution, marked by additions and reconstructions reflecting the liturgical needs and stylistic influences of each era. Its blend of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles makes it a valuable testimony to the local religious heritage.

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