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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Martin de Sardent, located in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, is a religious building built in the thirteenth century. It is distinguished by its elongated rectangular plane, comprising a nave framed with two side chapels and a choir finished with a flat bedside. The bell tower, covered in shingles, and a row of modillons adorning the southern facade testify to its medieval architecture. Originally, Sardent had a second church, Saint-Symphorian, now extinct, which served as an annex to Saint Martin.

The church's southern gate was listed as historic monuments on June 16, 1926, before the entire building was granted full protection by order of July 2, 2018. This classification includes monumental paintings of the eighteenth century in the choir, representing the four evangelists and the Holy Spirit, as well as silver liturgical objects of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Among the remarkable elements, a 15th century sculpted group, originally listed as St. Martin and the poor, was classified in 1952, while a 13th century reliquary arm, containing a relic of St. Pardoux, was transferred to the museum of Guéret in the 19th century.

The interior also houses protected furniture, including a winged tabernacle from the 17th to 18th centuries, a statue of the 18th century Virgin and Child, and two 17th century bas-reliefs from the old altarpiece. These elements illustrate the artistic and religious evolution of the site, from its medieval foundation to its enrichments in modern times. The church, owned by the municipality, remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the Limousin heritage.

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