Today's visit is to the 12th century church of 'Notre Dame du Fougeray' in Cormery which has withstood the ravages of religions wars and revolution, coming through relatively unscathed.*
It was built by the monks from the nearby Abbey of St.Paul who, although they had a church within their own abbey complex, had this built to serve the non-clergy part of the community. The abbey itself which dates back to 791 was not so lucky with only parts of it remaining standing today.
Inside 'Notre Dame du Fougeray' has a 'solid feel' and it does not take long before you begin to appreciate its sense of history.
The alter is made from the local tufa stone and sits under an impressive collection of stained glass windows and statues.
These statues and capitals within the apse are very impressive, you can see them in more detail here
The plan of the church is the simple Latin cross
without aisles with two side alters.
Its simplicity is one of its most redeeming features.
There is a cedar carving of St.Christopher by Raymond Dubois (1940)
She's here, probably in the best form I have seen her here in the Loire Valley.
The Romanesque features of the church are most predominant on the outside with the windows and apse.
The wall of the apse of the church has some interesting graffiti which appears to date from the 17th century.
The elaborate wooden canopy covering the entrance to the church seems to belong to a different era but this makes it none the less interesting.
If you go to Cormery to visit the remnants of its abbey community you should make a point of walking a little further out of town to seek out this very interesting church,
* The bell from the church was meant to be seized by soldiers of the Revolution to be smelted down but legend has it that the women of the town got them drunk while the men spirited the bell to safety. Apparently it is now used within the cathedral in Tours.
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