Église Saint-Malo d'Yvignac-la-Tour

Yvignac-la-Tour

At the heart of the village of Yvignac-la-Tour, the church of Saint-Malo preserves, despite alterations, the memory of a 12th-century Romanesque building. According to local tradition relayed by the tourist office, it is said to have been built by the Order of the Temple — an attribution that gave its name to the walking trail now called the "circuit des Templiers". What is attested, on the other hand, is the survival of five bays of the nave and much of the Romanesque apse, in granite, which do indeed go back to the original 12th-century building. Threatened with ruin in the 19th century, the church was rebuilt between 1866 and 1874: an imposing square tower of 32 metres then came to crown the whole, before the restoration works were completed in 1890. Listed as a monument historique (historic monument) as early as 1889, the church stands today as a curious dialogue between Romanesque stone and Second Empire architecture. The visitor who pushes open the door can thus touch, in the half-light of the chancel, masonry eight centuries old, while the modern bell tower dominates the surrounding countryside — a rare witness, in Brittany, to the persistence of a complete Romanesque core through the vicissitudes of successive rebuildings.

Getting there : Free admission (parish church)

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound