A seventeenth-century church listed as a historical
monument on a river island in France’s Loire Valley
monument on a river island in France’s Loire Valley
Saumur,
MAINE-ET-LOIRE
pays-de-loire
49400
FR
Location
France’s Loire Valley is renowned for its architectural heritage and its fine cuisine. The region draws thousands of visitors each year. It includes many famous religious edifices. The most emblematic of these is doubtless the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud.
The church is nestled on an island in the River Loire. Yet it is nonetheless in the town centre, where several roads meet, which makes it easy to reach. A train station lies just five minutes away from it. From there, you can get to the towns of Angers and Tours in less than thirty minutes. The A85 motorway is also only a few kilometres away. Shops, amenities, restaurants and places of culture can all be reached easily on foot.
Description
The church was built in 1654 on an island in the River Loire, between two banks: one was agricultural, the other urban. Over the centuries, a district of buildings gradually grew around the church and its plot of land of around 700m². You reach the edifice and its forecourt from a road in the town centre.
The church
The architect Florent Gondouin built this church. The edifice is actually a former convent chapel with a floor area of around 500m². It has been listed as a historical monument since 1969. The church has now been deconsecrated. It is no longer used for worship.
The building is made of tuffeau stone, a local material widely used in the region’s architecture. It has a slate roof. The church’s straight section has a hipped roof. Its rotunda has a truncated cone roof. At each end, a cylindrical bell tower capped with a slate dome crowns the building. The facade, which looks out over the forecourt, is somewhat plain. Stained glass embellishes it and a tall wooden double door stands in the middle of it. Bas-relief pilasters flank the door and rise up to capitals sculpted with an acanthus motif. A statue of the Virgin Mary stands upon a lintel above the door. A pediment with a cross above it marks the top of the tympanum.
The interior is not especially ornate. Tuffeau stone is omnipresent. Terracotta tiles cover the floor. When the edifice was built, its was part of a convent. Nuns would gather in the chancel, while the congregation would worship in the nave. Today, the latter is empty. The chapels on both sides of the chancel still have their altars. A particularity of this edifice is its rotunda-shaped chancel crowned with a dome. The layout recalls that of the chapel Notre-Dame-des-Ardilliers in Saumur. Four Corinthian pilasters support the dome. They are decorated with niches and cherubs. The altar in the chancel is made of black marble. Behind it, wooden panelling adorns the church’s apsidal end.
Our opinion
This splendid island church with a unique story is waiting for a future owner to give it a new lease of life. The deconsecrated edifice with a floor area of around 500m² has kept its dignified style, conducive to reverence and spiritual contemplation. The building in itself is remarkable. That is why it is listed as a historical monument. It includes many decorative features to be carefully preserved. The whole place is ready to begin a new chapter in the hands of an architecture enthusiast who can make the most of its ideal location and its cavernous interior spaces.
100 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 555219
| Land registry surface area | 700 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 500 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 1 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 3 m2 |
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
