Abbatiale Saint-Pierre de Preuilly-sur-Claise

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The Saint-Pierre de Preuilly-sur-Claise Abbey is located in Preuilly-sur-Claise.

History: Frightened, lord of Preuilly and La Roche-Posay founded this Benedictine Abbey in 1001. Its construction was approved by King Robert II The pious in 1012. It was then consecrated by Archambaud de Sully, archbishop of Tours and named after Saint Peter. The relics of Saint Melaine were placed in a side chapel dedicated to him, and his body put in a silver shawl. Subsequently, the relics were shared with several churches in western France; the shawl was taken at the Revolution and the remains, including the skull, preserved. The collapse of the bell tower of the abbey destroyed the chapel of Saint-Melaine. The building was then substantially restored and rebuilt in the 19th century, especially when the bell tower collapsed in 1867. It was rebuilt in 1873, with the addition of a high arrow, with a cover of varnished tiles, in a taste close to the roofs of the hospices of Beaune, which does not leave to be surprising and unusual for the region. The stained glass dates back to the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a major building of Romanesque art...