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Origin and history

The Saint Vincent de Chemillé-sur-Indrois church, located in the Centre-Val de Loire, is a Catholic building dating back to the 12th century. It was built in a village mentioned for the first time at that time, although the term "parochial" appeared only a century later. From this period remain the choir (registered in 1951), its semi-circular apse arched in cul-de-four, and the square bell tower disoriented to the south. These Romanesque elements, such as the modillons decorating the outer cornice of the .

In the 16th century, the church was enriched by Claude du Chesne, lord of Chemillé, who in 1580 ordered the construction of a seigneurial chapel north of the choir. This chapel, decorated with the family coat of arms ("D'azur deux fascisces d'or"), houses a statue of Saint Claude from the 14th to 15th centuries and two 16th century stained glass windows representing the founder with his wife and an ecclesiastical. These additions reflect the influence of noble families on religious buildings in the Renaissance.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw major changes, notably in 1784 with the reconstruction and expansion of the nave to the west, as well as the addition of a southern chapel. The architectural style of these extensions imitates that of the seigneurial chapel, ensuring visual harmony. In 1874, important works transformed the building again: the nave was extended, a neo-Roman rose was added above the gate, and the ground floor of the bell tower was converted into a chapel. These 19th-century interventions illustrate the frequent restorations of rural churches during the Second Empire and the Third Republic.

The church furniture includes remarkable pieces, such as a bell of 1367 named Maria, from the Chartreuse du Liget and ranked among the oldest in Indre-et-Loire. The choir also houses a carved wooden pulpit from the same chartreuse, as well as a Christ on a cross inscribed in historical monuments. Among the stained glass windows, a 12th century tombage, in the choir, uses a rare technique of unleaded glass, constituting a unique testimony in France.

The building, atypically oriented from north-west to south-east, dominates the village of Chemillé-sur-Indrois, bordering the departmental road D760 and near a meander of the Indrois. Its adjacent cemetery, located in the southwest, highlights its central role in community life since the Middle Ages. Today, the church remains an active place of worship and a protected heritage, reflecting nearly nine centuries of local religious and architectural history.

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