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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Grégoire des Minimes de Tours, located on Rue de la Préfecture, was originally the Conventual Church of the Minimal Brothers. Founded in the seventeenth century, it replaced a first installation in La Riche, near the castle of Plessis-lez-Tours, where Saint Francis de Paule had established a convent in 1489. In 1619, the minimals acquired land in Tours to build an urban infirmary, in accordance with their order authorizing rural convents to equip themselves with medical facilities in the city.

The first stone was laid in 1626, but a flood of the Loire in 1628 severely damaged the north wall of the church under construction. The plans were modified to add three side chapels, and the work was completed in 1630. The church was consecrated in 1635 under the name of Saint Gregory by Bishop Victor Le Bouthillier, coadjutor of the Archbishop of Tours. The ceremony of planting the cross in 1621 had brought together the minimals of Touraine and Queen Mary of Medici, widow of Henri IV.

After the Revolution, the convent and the church were confiscated and sold as national property. The church became a warehouse before being bought in 1856 by the Imperial High School (now Descartes High School), which made it its chapel until 1981. Classified as a historical monument in 1919, it was restored by private individuals in the 1980s and restored to traditional worship by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.

The building is distinguished by its baroque décor, including an oak canopy carved in the 17th century by local artisans, two of whom will become minimal brothers. The woodwork, made between 1677 and 1679, as well as the retables of the three lateral chapels (dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim) testify to her rich artistic heritage. Today, the church is accessible during Heritage Days.

The adjacent convent, transformed into a Grand Command hotel in the 19th century, now houses military offices. Only the east wing of the original building remains, integrated into the 19th century constructions. The church, for its part, has regained its historical name and its initial religious vocation.

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