Saint-Aignan- Medieval Frescoes Plus a Renaissance Château

We made a brief stop in Saint-Aignan several years back to see the  medieval frescoes in the Collegiate Church of Saint-Aignan. I re-discovered these photos while searching for another photo over the holidays so I decided to share them in a brief post. This is a lovely little town with cobblestone streets. Saturday is a good day to visit as they have a weekly market Saturday mornings.

 

It was easy to find the church as its spire towered above the other buildings. The oldest part of this roman style church is the ambulatory crypt which houses the 12^th and 13^th century frescoes. I remember the anticipation of seeing these medieval frescoes as they were some of the first we had ever seen.

 

This little church itself is lovely but the treasures it hides in the crypt beneath are amazing. These frescoes are remarkably preserved.

 

Above we have Christ centered between Saint Pierre (St Peter) and Saint Jacques (St James).

The two frescoes below are to right of the above frescoe – first a detailed view and then zoomed out.

 

 

Perched above Saint-Aignan  is a lovely Renaissance château. The grounds are open to the public but unfortunately, the interior is not.

 

We explored the grounds, peering through the door of the hunting lodge and its remarkable collection of antlers, saddles and other tack.

 

The breathtaking views of the town below were well worth the climb up this steep stairway!

 

No matter which way you look, the views were lovely!

 

 

From here, we made another unplanned stop at the Château du Moulin (the blue icon on the map).  Days like this of exploring the backroads of France are definitely my favorite!