Romanesque art around Azay-le-Rideau
– Destination –
You have a passion for Romanesque art? Here you will find some real treasures!
In Saint Martin church at Lignières-de-Touraine, the frescoes from the second half of the 12th century develop a superb pictorial program, one of the most complete in Touraine. Hidden during a renovation in the 19th century, the frescoes were rediscovered and restored in 2009.
A little Saint-Savin ... 6 kilometers from Azay-le-Rideau, towards Langeais.
Romanesque architecture has left us its large well-known portals, such as Autun, Conques, Vézelay or Moissac. They have their ancestors in the 11th century, in the first attempts at monumental sculpture by Romanesque builders in Roussillon and in the Loire Valley... and in particular here on the facade of the Saint Symphien church inAzay-le-Rideau.
A bit further south of Azay-le-Rideau, take a Romanesque circuit. Find the purity of this style in the Saint-Nicolas church at Tavant, from the beginning of the 20th century, in Saint Léger church at Cravant-les-Côteaux, with its elements borrowed from Carolingian art, at the Saint Mexme collegiate church and at the Sainte Radegonde chapel in Chinon, or, as in the photo below, at the ruins of the Saint Léonard church in l’Île Bouchard.
