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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Plein-Selve, located in the Gironde department, is an abbey church founded in the 12th century by the order of Prémontré. It was erected around 1145-1150 by Geoffroi du Loroux, archbishop of Bordeaux, and initially served as a place of worship for a religious community. Today, it has the status of parish church, although it remains only the bedside, the cross of the transept and the north arm with its chapel, witnesses to its medieval architecture.

In the 12th century, the building consisted of a single nave, a transept and a flat bedside. In the 13th century, chapels were added to the arms of the transept, enriching its structure. However, in 1407, part of the church was destroyed, leaving only remains of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The cross, the north arm of the transept, the north chapel and the flat bedside are still visible today. A sacristy was added in the 19th century on the south front of the bedside, marking a later adaptation of the building.

Classified as a historical monument by decree of 1 December 1908, the church is now owned by the commune of Plein-Selve. Its history is closely linked to the Abbey of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, founded by Geoffroi du Loroux, of which it was the spiritual and architectural heart. Recent research, such as that conducted by Juliette Masson, has provided a better understanding of her role in the Aquitaine religious architecture of the Middle Ages, particularly in the order of Premontré.

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