Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Blaise de Givrezac, located in the Charente-Maritime department in New Aquitaine, is a Catholic building dating back to the Middle Ages. Its western facade and nave, prior to the 10th century, bear witness to primitive Romanesque architecture, while the choir and the apse, dated from the 11th or early 12th century, illustrate a stylistic evolution. The church is dedicated to Saint Blaise, a saint of Eastern origin, which highlights various influences in its foundation.

The structure of the church is characterized by a unique nave ending in a semi-coupole-covered hemicycle sanctuary. Inside, a Romanesque column decorated with an interlacing capital marks the entrance to the choir, while the bare walls of the nave house a "bench of the poor". The western facade, sober, presents a portal prior to the 12th century, with arches in the middle of the hanger resting on rudimentary columns and pillars. The Romanesque windows, narrow and decorated with hangers carved in a single stone, as well as a two-bayed campanile gable with a bell of 1784, complete this architectural ensemble.

It is divided into seven sections and concentrates most of the Romanesque sculpture of the building. Three capitals and fifteen modillons, dating from the late 11th or early 12th century, adorn the cornice. The capitals represent various patterns: a bicorporeal lion devouring a man, androcephalous creatures with symbolic postures, and stylized foliage. The modillons, mainly linked to the theme of lust, recall those of the nearby churches of Saint-Pierre de Champagnolles and Saint-Quantin-de-Rançanne, suggesting the work of the same workshop. A canonial dial, engraved on a southern foothill, as well as traces of three other dials, attest to the precise liturgical use of the time.

The Saint-Blaise church was classified as historic monuments in 1910, recognizing its heritage value. The bronze bell, classified in 1911, bears an inscription dated 1784, mentioning its donation by parishioners and its manufacture by a Bordeaux craftsman named Turnaux. These elements, combined with Romanesque iconography and solar devices, make this building a remarkable witness to medieval religious and artistic life in Saintonge.

External links