Church of Saint-Martin-et-Saint-Bond

The church of Montbarrois, dedicated to Saint Martin, is located in Center-Val de Loire. This building, with its squat form and bell tower on the façade (characteristic of the Gâtinais), is very interesting because we can recognize four eras of construction: the pre-Romanesque, the Romanesque, the Gothic and the Renaissance. You can also observe the altar on the aisle and its altarpiece of the nineteenth century.

About this building

The parish church of Montbarrois, dedicated to Saint Martin and Saint Bond is located in Center-Val de Loire. The south wall of the nave is all that remains from the 11th century Carolingian style church, which is mentioned in the archives of the Archbishopric of Sens. The foundations of the bell tower are of the same period or slightly later. The church testifies to the prosperity of the region after the war: with the growing population, the churches need to be enlarged. The belfry on the facade (remodeled in the sixteenth century) was replaced, in the manner of a narthex, by a low sided nave, while to the east there is a lower choir that is composed of two spans which ends in a flat chevet. The church has a small caquetory that gives a welcoming appearance to the church and houses a crucifix.

The church, with its squat form and bell tower on the façade (characteristic of Gâtinais), is very interesting because it is its construction demonstrates the history of the region. We can recognize four eras of construction: the pre-Romanesque, before 1080 (the device on the cob south wall of the nave and the small high windows); the Romanesque, at the end of the Xth century (the enlargement of the nave); the Gothic style of twelfth and thirteenth century (the construction of the choir) and the Renaissance, of the XV, XVI and XVII century (the enlargement of the nave by the addition of an aisle and the reconstruction of the bell tower). There is also an altar on the aisle and its altarpiece from the nineteenth century.

Key Features

  • Architecture

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