Welcome to saint-loup-lamairé

The castle:  probably built by Jean or Amaury de Dercé did not leave many vestiges. There remains indeed only the old main tower forming an irregular rectangle connected to another smaller and circular tower by a body of buildings juxtaposed to the ditches. The unit underwent many recoveries during the centuries, in particular since the installation of the B & B, which makes extremely difficult the comprehensive study castral. It is thus necessary to retain the presence of a tower to the south-eastern angle, old main tower and of a body of posterior building connecting these two constructions. The tower with cut side, joined with the northern wall of the main tower, accomodates a large spiral staircase which gives access to the room of the first stage and the apartments of the juxtaposed buildings.

A first church existed in the old enclosure castral, not far from the old castle in north, but the latter was destroyed. The foundation of the Notre-Dame church dates from second half of XV century. It is mentioned in pouillé of the diocese of Poitiers as “a priory-cure” of Notre-Dame of Saint-Loup and will not reappear any more under the term of Saint-Wolf as from the XVII century. It knew many rehandlings during the centuries but its primitive plan remained unchanged.

The church had a simple and modest architecture at the end of the Middle Ages. It is founded on a outline drawing of Latin cross finished by a right bedside. Each exterior angle corresponds to a buttress, according to the use applied to XV century. It is a plan equipped with only one broad nave, whose gouttereaux walls are bored by two blazing bays. The bedside extended on two spans, finished by a right section of wall which was opened by a broad blazing window, as we specified the Barbier abbot in 1850. You find this type of bedside with Notre-Dame de Bressuire, or even with Notre-Dame de Courlay. The whole of the nave was arched out of wood while the bedside had a low vault hones some, pressed on prismatic veins merging with those of the columns. The frontage was opened by a very sober door whose arc in tierce point ended in a console, certainly intended to accomodate a statue. With the higher register was a blazing bay. Lastly, the highest level corresponded to a high triangular pinion whose top formed a bretèche bored by three opened bays, which were to accomodate three pinnacles formerly. Other acute pinions were visible at the ends of the arms of the transept and the bedside, but they were stripped of their primitive frame.

Crédit photo : Père Igor, licence CC-BY-SA-3.0

The Aubertin organ of Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet was built by Bernard Aubertin, organ builder of international reputation. The instrument has twenty plays and was installed December 1998, then inaugurated on April 9, 1999. Registration is detailed with the bottom of this page.

• Musical color

This organ is particularly adapted to the German music of XVII and XVIII centuries, that Bach, Buxtehude, Boehm and their predecessors. However, it is of course not exclusive and allows to interpret a diversified repertory.

• Proximity

One of the characteristics of this instrument is to be placed at the ground between the southern nave and transept, near to the choral society and faithful to which it gives its support. This site makes it possible to comfortably accomodate groups of school or adults during musical animations or of presentations of the organ.