Overview
Parish of the diocese of Bourges, confirmed in 1152 by Pope Eugenius II to Souvigny. The church is a boxy unarticulated structure from the second half of the twelfth century. The nave has 4 bays with central pointed barrel vault flanked by domed groin vaults in the aisles. The massive cruciform piers are “modernistic”—they have no attached colonnettes, bases or capitals. No transept: the rectangular tower sits over the last bay before the deep flat-ended barrel-vaulted choir. Were apses ever intended? The choir is now flanked by later rectangular chambers. Despite the heaviness of the structure and modern interventions (the vaults are said to be rebuilt) the church currently faces serious structural problems: the westernmost transverse arch is supported by wooden centering and the transverse arch of the second bay has developed an obvious hinge. Even the west portal is badly deformed, and the frontispiece is pulling away from the body of the church despite an iron tie runs along the ridge above the vault. The skinny original lateral buttresses, faced with the massive weight of the barrel and groin vaults against the lateral walls, were inadequate.
