Saint-Germain de La Chatre

The church Saint-Germain de La Chatre is a French Catholic church. It is located on the territory of the municipality of La Châtre, in the department of Indre, in the Center-Val de Loire region.

L'église se trouve dans la commune de La Châtre, au sud-est du département de l'Indre, en région Centre-Val de Loire. Elle est située dans la région naturelle du Boischaut Sud. L'église dépend de l'archidiocèse de Bourges, du doyenné du Boischaut Sud3 et de la paroisse de La Châtre.

The church is old. It certainly existed in another form at the end of the eleventh century. It has since been rebuilt, but before the reconstruction, the south wall bore Roman windows and modillions dating back to that date; during the demolition, capitals of the same period were discovered.

The church suffered from the Hundred Years War, Wars of Religion and the Revolution. In the thirteenth century, it is described as without cover and without vault. In 1300, the bell tower is reported as unfinished; most of the restoration costs are borne by the inhabitants, despite numerous legacies and donations. In the fifteenth century, Jean Coeur, son of Jacques Coeur, archbishop of Bourges, can dedicate the new choir (1461).

The church is, until the eighteenth century and the Revolution, both a collegiate church, entrusted to the chapter of the canons of La Chatre, and a parish church, where the service is provided by the priest. This duplication is reflected in a spatial division: the choir is reserved for canons and authorized notables and the simple believers are confined in the nave. Separation doubles as a sharing of financial responsibilities: the chapter is responsible for maintaining the choir; as for the maintenance of the nave, it is shared - two thirds are in charge of the chapter, a third to the charge of the parishioners. The secular affairs are regulated, for the chapter, by a designated canon, called the syndic of the chapter, and for the parish, by his representatives at the church factory. The chapter is composed, in the eighteenth century, eight canons prebended and four canons semi-prebendés5. The canons of the chapter of La Chatre were all secular, and they lived in the city.

During the Revolution, the steeple, which is then of wood and not very high, was dismantled; the bells were melted, the wood sold.

The church was rebuilt in the 19th century. It was also necessary to demolish the choir and the old nave. In a wall of the latter, we discover acoustic pottery, 22 cm high by 12 in diameter. The city council, which had approved the plans of the architect Henry Dauvergne6 in 1885, stipulated that in case of unforeseen events, nothing would be charged to the city. The architect rebuilt the bell tower at his own expense7. On the other hand, for the rest of the reconstruction, the factory council is solicited.

The old porch is preserved and restored. The church is completed and consecrated in 1904. As can be seen on the two extracts of cadastres, the first of 1841, so before the reconstruction, the second contemporary, the influence of the church has not been changed; on the other hand, the square in front of the porch has been considerably enlarged.

The cornice presents an impressive series of about two hundred modillions. They are in such a perfect state of preservation that they can not come from the old church; on the other hand, they are of a novel type.

Camino