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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Médard church of Saint-Mard-de-Réno, founded in the 12th century, is an emblematic Catholic building of the village. Its initial Romanesque architecture is characterized by a unique nave, a semicircular apse, a gate in the middle of the corner and a partially preserved tower-clocher. The semicircular windows, modillon cornices and flat foothills bear witness to this period. The building occupied a central square, surrounded by a cemetery until 1842, now transformed into an orchard.

Over the centuries, the church has undergone several architectural changes. In the 14th century, a foreground was added, while in the 16th century, the cross-sections were enlarged with flamboyant fillings and the elevated tower of a building roof. The seventeenth century saw the addition of a gate on the facade and the strengthening of the foothills. Restorations in the 18th century, including the construction of a sacristy, completed these transformations. Despite these developments, the general harmony of the building was preserved, emphasized by a rich and protected interior furniture.

The church houses remarkable furniture, including a master altar and a 17th-century tabernacle, a 19th-century neoclassical altar, as well as 16th and 18th-century statues, such as an Education of the Virgin and a Virgin of Mercy. A wooden fence separating the chorus from the nave and the panelling decorated in the choir add to its heritage value. Ranked a historic monument in 1998, it received donations for its restoration, notably from the Association for the Protection of French Art in 2008 and 2010.

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