Église Saint-Martin de Laives, Romanesque church in Laives, France

Église Saint-Martin de Laives is a Romanesque church with a vaulted nave flanked by two side aisles ending in apses. A square Lombard-style bell tower rises above the crossing, and the roof is covered with lava stone slabs. The rough stone walls are reinforced by buttresses, and a small cross-shaped opening marks the gable end.

A chapel existed here by 894, when King Eudes confirmed it to the bishopric of Nevers. The Romanesque church was built in the 11th century, with a Gothic chapel added to the north in 1476 and another to the south in 1516. After the French Revolution it became a Temple of Reason, and it was abandoned when a new village church opened in 1830.

The church stands on the Chemin des Moines, the ridge path linking the abbeys of Cluny and La Ferté. Inside, round holes in the dome and nave vaults hold ceramic pots set into the masonry, giving the building exceptional acoustics. Outside, the graves of priests face west, toward the altar.

The church sits on elevated ground and is easily visible from the outside, making it straightforward to view. Evening lighting makes the structure visible from the nearby A6 motorway.

During World War II, the building served the French Resistance as a weapons storage location. This was one of several surprising roles the structure played across the centuries.