Church of Saint-Sulpice, Avoise
The church Saint Sulpice d'Avoise, dominates the river of Sarthe. Built in the twelfth century, it was reworked many times to take its current form, with renovations completed in the nineteenth century. It is a Romanesque building with a cruciform plan with a single paneled nave and a flat choir. It features an altarpiece by Nicolas Bouteiller, a chalice and various classified statues and bas-reliefs.
About this building
The church of Saint Sulpice d'Avoise, dominates the meandering river of Sarthe. The first church, built in the 12th century, was remodelled during the 13th and 14th centuries. Thus was added the chapel of the Rosary (under the name of chapel Saint-Michel). The church was once again transformed between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with the breaking of the bay of the choir and the creation of wood panelling (shingles Morvan chestnut dipped in milk of lime).
The church took its current form during the nineteenth century with the addition of the north arm of the transept (design by the architect Tessier) and the chapel of Saint-Sébastien (financed by the Marquise Cécilia de la Girouardière). A square base bell-tower surmounted by a hexagonal roof with a solid steeple was added against the west gable wall. The covers are made of flat slates, and the walls of rubble coatings. The Saint-Sulpice church is a Romanesque building with a cruciform plan with a single nave leading to the choir with a flat chevet. The choir houses an imposing altarpiece by Nicolas Bouteiller (1660-80), a 19th century tabernacle, a chalice and various statues and bas-reliefs. These remarkable architectural elements have been classified as representative objects of French heritage.
