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Loire Valley churches - St.Martin's Charnizay

The last time I tried to have a look in the church at Charnizay I was thwarted by locked doors and dodgems! - it was the day of their brocante. So as we were passing through the village again recently, I checked it our, glad I did!

The Eglise St Martin can be traced back to the 10th century, probably consisting of just the nave and bell tower.It belonged, like many in the area, to the 'Church of Martin de Tours'

There is a statue of St Martin , a window dedicated to him as bishop of Tours and among the paintings hanging on the walls there is one featuring the saint and his 'cloak of charity'. The church is included in the 236km pilgrim's route from Tours down to Poitiers.
It was  that was added to in the 15th century.

The organ you can just see under the window is one of the few remaining 'small' organs in France. Where's Joan?...she's here.

The front elevation of the church dates from the 19th century.

 

 

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"Author: Jim Craig"

 

Loire Valley churches