Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin de Lerné, located in the Indre-et-Loire department in the Centre-Val de Loire region, is a Catholic building dating back to the 12th century. It underwent major transformations in the 16th and 19th centuries, reflecting the architectural evolutions of these periods. The church consists of a nave revealed in the 16th century, a chorus recast in the 18th century, and two lower sides added at the same time. Its semi-circular apse, pierced with curved windows framed with hooked capital columnettes, bears witness to a late Romanesque style characteristic of the late 12th or early 13th century.

The cut-sided bedside was later raised, while the 16th-century northern collateral has a false vault, and the southern collateral has a arch of warheads. Painting works, now missing, were carried out in 1652 by Lebrun and Baliguet. The church, classified as a historical monument in 1985, was once surrounded by a cemetery, which disappeared in 1840. It depended on the Seuilly Abbey and was part of Chinon Viguerie, illustrating its historical and religious importance in the region.

The 16th century bas-relief sculptures, visible on the keys and the doubles, as well as the elements of the Angelvin style, highlight the artistic richness of this building. The church of Saint Martin, owned by the municipality of Lerné, remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the Touraine, mixing medieval heritage and Renaissance influences.

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