quarter of the 12th century on the upper walls and vaults of the axial and south chapels
and in the main apse. With its white ground and lighter color scheme, the main apse
contains an enthroned Christ who gives keys and a scroll to SS.Peter and James the
Lesser, and cripples surround them. In contrast to the main apse, the frescoes elsewhere,
in highly saturated colors, illustrate the life of St. Gilles, the Glory of the Lamb, the
raising of Lazarus, and the life of Christ. With origins in the 13th century, the château
consists mostly of 15th- and 16th-century construction; it is not open to the public.
Stacy L.Boldrick
Baylé, Maylis. “Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher.” Congrès archéologique (Blésois) 139(1981):334–36.
Devailly, Guy. Le Berry du Xe siècle au milieu de XIIIe: étude politique, religieuse, sociale, et
économique. Paris: Mouton, 1973.
SAINT-BENOÎT-SUR-LOIRE
. Founded at Fleury (Loiret) in 651, the abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire followed the
Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia. Between 690 and 707, the remains of Benedict were
brought from the Italian monastery of Monte Cassino, then in ruins, to Saint-Benoît,
underscoring the growing dedication to Benedict and his Rule in France. An elaborate
account of the search for and return with Benedict’s remains is given in Adrevald of
Fleury’s Historia translationis sancti Benedicti. Adrevald tells of an expedition from
Saint-Benoît to Monte Cassino being joined by citizens of Le Mans seeking the remains
of St. Scholastica. The monks from Saint-Benoît arrive at Monte Cassino first,
Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (Loiret), plan of
church. After Rousseau.
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