St-Pierre (Melle)

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Saint-Pierre church
View through the nave

St-Pierre is a secular Romanesque former priory church in Melle ( Deux-Sèvres ) in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France . The church has been classified as a Monument historique since 1862 .

history

In 950, the cartular of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Maixent-l'École mentions the existence of an oratory of St-Pierre in Melle, which was owned by the abbey. In the second half of the 10th century, St-Pierre had already developed into a parish church. A document from 1132 mentions for the first time that a priory of the Benedictine abbey had been set up there to serve as a station on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela . The oldest parts of the church are the choir of three apses and the transept.

The monastery buildings, which were presumably located north of the church, were destroyed in the course of the wars of religion. The church, which is said to have been badly damaged in 1634, was renovated in the second half of the 17th century. The vaults are dated 1685. In 1857 the north side of the church was reconstructed by the architect Antoine Bizard and a sacristy was added. In the last quarter of the 19th century the church was completely renovated.

description

Capital, Entombment of Christ

The three-aisled church of St-Pierre is the third Romanesque church in the town next to St-Hilaire and St-Savinien . Despite its three aisles, St-Pierre does not have an ambulatory choir, but only a main apse with two side apses, the windows of which are lavishly surrounded on the outside with plastic decorative ribbons. The yokes of the nave with its pointed barrel vaults are separated by heavy belt arches.

Two capitals, one with a depiction of a thorn extractor and another with a beautiful depiction of the Entombment of Christ - reminiscent of Burgundian work - are particularly noteworthy. The others mostly show tendrils, birds etc.

The structure of the south portal is similar to the north portal of St-Hilaire - but the archivolts are slightly pointed. In the niche above the portal, Christ sits on his throne, surrounded by remains of figures that are interpreted as the Virgin Mary and John.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ St-Pierre in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ^ History in the Base Mérimée

Web links

Commons : St-Pierre (Melle)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 46 ° 13 ′ 36.8 ″  N , 0 ° 8 ′ 44 ″  W.