Église Saint-Pierre d'Asnières-en-Montagne, Medieval church in Asnières-en-Montagne, France.
Église Saint-Pierre is a Latin-cross church with very wide transepts and a flat-ended choir, its long-pitched roofs covered in slate. The bell tower stands at the crossing of the transepts, topped by an octagonal slate-covered spire and pierced by twin windows and small triangular openings. The lower walls are pale yellow plaster over stone, with buttresses between three round-arched, grilled windows; a low stone wall runs in front.
Built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the church was substantially remodelled and repaired from the 14th to the 16th century. It was listed as a monument historique by decree of 29 July 1976.
The church keeps thirteen statues listed or classified as historic objects since 1920: fifteenth-century pieces such as a Pietà, a Vierge de miséricorde and a saint Pierre, and sixteenth-century figures including a Christ en croix, sainte Barbe and saint Roch. The stained glass of the choir bay is also noted.
The church stands as a central landmark in this small rural village and is easy to find on foot. Visitors should note that it sits in a quiet countryside location where opening hours may be limited, so planning ahead is helpful.
The southern chapel features an archway with a painted grid pattern that tricks the eye into seeing carved stone blocks. This decorative technique allowed craftspeople to create the look of expensive stonework using simple paint on plaster.
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