Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Hilaire de Sazilly, located in the eponymous village in the Centre-Val de Loire region, is a unique nave religious building built at the end of the 12th or early 13th century. It replaces a former Gallo-Roman building and was attached to the Abbey of Marmoutier. Its architecture is distinguished by a flat bedside divided into three square spans, covered with arched warhead arches, and limestone-cut stone walls. The large blind arches of the choir and the niche-credence bear witness to his late Romanesque style.

In the 16th century, a seigneurial chapel was added by Louis Aymar, lord of Sazilly, reflecting the local influence of the nobility. The vault of the choir, collapsed in the eighteenth century, was rebuilt only in 1880, while the bell tower, after the nave, lost its arrow in 1818. The seigneurial chapel served long as a sacristy before a new one was built in 1880. Finally, a major restoration of the bell tower in 1999 allowed for the installation of a bell belfry.

The church, classified as a Historical Monument in 1926, illustrates the architectural evolutions and vicissitudes of a medieval building, marked by partial reconstructions and adaptations to liturgical needs. Its history also reflects the links between seigneurial power and religious institution, typical of the Tourangelle countryside.

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