Église Saint-Martin d'Ardentes, Romanesque church in Ardentes, France.

Église Saint-Martin d'Ardentes is a Latin-cross Romanesque church of light beige stone under a steep roof of reddish-brown tiles, with a long nave and a shorter section. A small stone bell tower with a pointed roof and metal weather vane rises at the junction of the roof sections; on the right facade a rounded apse with a conical tiled roof projects outward. Round-arched windows with metal grilles and a circular window pierce the walls, and a low stone wall runs in front of the base.

The church is first recorded in 1115 among the possessions of Déols Abbey; a 1117 act of Archbishop Léodegard of Bourges merely confirmed an earlier donation. It was built in two campaigns in the 12th century: the choir with its coarser capitals came first, the nave and south transept with finer capitals in the second half of the century. The north transept was rebuilt with its bell tower in 1837, and the building was listed in 1862.

The north portal, once the main entrance, is framed by capitals showing the triumph of good over evil and the punishment of lust. Above it, a carved lamb with a Latin inscription names its maker, Hernaud. The south transept ends in a small apse, and the chevet carries blind arcades with carved corbels.

The church is located at Place Saint-Martin in the center of Ardentes and is easy to reach on foot. As an active place of worship, visitors should dress appropriately and respect any services taking place inside.

On the central keystone of the north portal's outer arch, a carved Paschal Lamb carries a cross, its head broken off. A Latin inscription around it names its maker, Hernaud, giving a rare medieval craftsman's signature.