Church of Sainte-Barbe

Built from 1513 on the plans of Guillaume Pelvoysin, the church was consecrated and definitively completed the same year, in 1539. It is truly an attractive building due to its unusual exterior: the continuous roof covering its side chapels is not commonplace. If you are arriving from the station, take a few moments to enter the building. You will admire its rather simple Gothic architecture and its Renaissance canopies, some of which are attributed to Jean Lécuyer.

It was in 1195 that Henri de Sully decided to rebuild the cathedral of Bourges from the chevet in the Gothic style. The work continues under the archbishopric of Guillaume de Dangeon, successor since 1199. The second campaign, completed around 1230, saw the construction of the nave and the western façade. The north tower was rebuilt after its collapse in 1506.

Like other monuments and a large part of the city, the church was destroyed during the great fire of the Madeleine in July 1487. It was therefore rebuilt in the 16th century, around 1520, the nave having been extended by a fifth span and according to a tradition that has not been historically verified, and it was the local architect Guillaume Pelvoysin who built the north tower. In the seventeenth century, the side entrance to the south was restored in the style of the time, i.e. with Corinthian columns that give a touch of classics. On 27 May 1562, when the Huguenots entered Bourges, it was again pillaged by the troops of the Count of Montgomery.