Deux-Sèvres
 
Commune
Airvault  Les Alleuds Oiron  Parthenay St-Génard  Saivres  Thouars

Airvault - Église Saint-Pierre
Church open - well worth a visit. Park in free car park by the museum, near the church.
46˚ 49' 41" N; 0˚ 8' 6" W
   
 

            


                     Top Left:
Grave slab of Marie Erault (1607) In church - north aisle
                    Top Right:
Grave slab of  Jeanne Regnault (1616) In porch
                     Above and Right:
Tomb of Pierre de Saine-Fontain (4th quarter of 11th century)

Les Allueds
Abbaye Notre-Dame


You may park outside the church but when I visited the building was unfortunately locked. Said to contain the 14th century stone effigy of Abbé Guillaume (1318) with an epitaph. On a more recent second visit again the church was locked and there were no idication of where to obtain the key.

Oiron
 Coll
égiale-Saint-Maurice
Church open. Free car park outside. The church contains a series of marble monuments made in the first half of the 16th century by the sculptor Jean 1st Juste. All bear inscriptions. The lands of Oiron were given to Guillaume I Gouffier, Lord of Boissy,  by King Charles VII
 46˚ 57' 3" N; 0˚ 4' 44" W

The tombs below are of marble and alabaster and were much damage during the Wars of Religion and the Revolution. They were reassembled by the architect Théophile Segretair in 1839. They are not in their original position.


Philippe de Montmorency (-1516)
Second wife of Guillaume I Gouffier




  Philippe Gouffier (de Montmorency) was the second wife of Guillaume I Gouffier, and mother of Artus, Admiral Guillaume II, Adrien, and Aymar.
 
  Her monument was originally located in the crossing, next to that of her son, Artus. The effigy is sculpted on a slab and represents her wearing the costume of a widow, with her feet resting on a small dog, the symbol of fidelity. The are a number of niches on the long side of the tomb chest, which contain kneeling female figures, representing members of her family. Between these niches are pilasters decorated with lions' heads, liturgical objects and musical instruments. At the short sides are angels in similar niches. Most of these small figures have been beheaded during the Wars of Religion.



      

Artus Gouffier (1475-1519),  
Duke of Roannez; Peer of France, Count of Étampes, of Caravaggio; Baron of Passavant, of Maulévrier, of Roanne, of la Mothe-Saint-Romain, of Bourg-Charente, of Saint-Loup; Lord of Oiron, of Villedieu-sur-Indre, of Valance, of Cazamajor; Grand Master of France.












                                                                                             

 
  Artus
was the son of Guillaume I Gouffier and Philippe de Monmorency, elder brother of Guillaume II and father of Claude. (see below)
 
   He was in charge of the education of the future King François when Count of Angoulême and, when on the death of Louis XII in 1515, the latter became king as François I, he was appointed Grand Master of France. This post ranked him among the officers of the King's
household, who were administrators of the principal affairs of the king. His responsibility was the security of the king and the court, equivalent to a present day minister of the interior. He died at Montpellier in 1519 during the negotiation of a peace treaty between France and the Holy Roman Empire.

  He was originally buried at Chinon but his wife, Hélèn de Hangest, respecting his wishes, returned his body to Oiron. The tomb was originally situated in the crossing next to that of his mother, Philippe, and is attributed to Jean Juste. His feet lie on a griffin and his head on a pillow. Note that his arms are represented on the tabard worn over the armour. The statues in the niches on the long sides of the tomb chest represent his son and brothers: Claude, Adrien, Louis, Pierre, Aymar and Guillaume II (the Admiral of France); this monument is similar to that of his mother Philippe, but note that these male figures are represented as standing. On the short sides are figures of angels, very similar to those on this mother's monument


Guillaume II Gouffier ( - 1525)
 Lord of Bonnivet and Grand Admiral of France








    Guillaume II Gouffier was another son of Guillaume I and younger brother of Artus, who had been in charge of the young Count François of Angoulême.  Artus introduced his younger brother, Guillaume, to  François and he became one of the latter's group of companions; being about twelve years older he was the most influential. Guillaume became François's  chief adviser in all affairs and the King  also appointed him Grand Admiral of France, a post which included many lucrative offices, giving him supreme administration over maritime affairs.
 
  On the death of the Emperor Maximilian in 1519,  François instructed Gauillaume to contact the Electors of the Holy Roman Empire to promote his (François's) election to Emperor, against the Spanish King           Charles. He failed in this Endeavour and Charles was duly elected as the Emperor Charles V.
 
  Notwithstanding this diplomatic failure François appointed him head of the army in Italy following the death of the previous incumbent of that post in 1523. He made several strategic blunders and was forced to retreat in 1524. He returned with King François later year, where there was some success; however on his advice the King laid siege to the town of Pavia which was followed by a disastrous four hour battle. The King and many French knights were captured, including Guillayme's nephew, Claude, and many were killed, including Gauillaume himself. It is said that he sought a heroic death rather by raising his visor than face disgrace, as the battle had been fought on his advice.
 
  The monument was originally in the centre of the north transept and was ordered by his nephew, Claude, in 1559 from the sculptor, Jean II Juste. Note the motifs an the tomb chest: a snake biting its tail (an ouroborus, a pagan symbol for eternity) and an anchor and dolphin with his motto (a symbol dating from the reign of Emperor Titus). These motifs also appear with his arms on the tabard worn over his plate armour.
 

Claude Gouffier (1500 - 1570)
Duke of Roannais; Marquis of Boissy, of Caravaz; Grand Knight of France.






  Claude, the son of Artus, was appointed Grand Écuyer (Chief Equerry, Master of the King's Stables) to the king in 1546, his duties being to supervise and administer the king's stables. His first official act was to carry the royal sword at the funeral of King Henry II. One of the privileges of his office was to inherit the horses of the Grand Écuyer, both war hoses and ceremonial horses as well as a small stable of everyday horses) on the death of the king.

  He served in the French-Italian wars, being captured with King François I and many other French knights at the disastrous  Battle of Pavia, where his uncle Guillaume II was killed.  On their release he was again captured in Italy by Ferrante Gonzaga and ransomed by the King for a huge sum.
 
  He was married five times, his first wife, Jacqueline de la Tremille, attempting to murder him by poison for which she was imprisoned for life. He was a collector of books and unusual objects: this collection, which has been augmented over the years, may been seen today at the nearby Château Oiron. (open to public, entrance fee)

 
 
This tomb was originally located in the centre of the south transept, below that of Admiral Guillaume Gouffier. The effigy is in poor condition and shows him as a near naked corpse. On the tomb chest may be seen his arms, a skull and three long bones, repeated twice, and his monogram surrounded by his motto.

 

Other Monuments

1 2 3a 3b 4 5
   There are a number of incised slabs and flat stones in the church but many are worn to illegibility. 1, 2, and 3 above are now clamped against the wall but unfortunately 3 has a hefty picture frame with a torn canvas leaning against it which were only able to lean forward against a sofa. 4 and 5 above may be in situ.

  1. M_ H[o]noré Ruffi (1724)  He held a number of official appointments, including 'Inspector of Buildings for the King'. 2. Jehan de Grimouard (1532) Écuyer (Greenhill)  Note that the arms on the tabard and on either side of the pillow have been left relatively intact but the augmentations on the top right (heraldic!) corners have been chiseled out. 3. Incised slab to a priest (17__). 4. Princess Madame Claude Eleonor de Loraine (1645) She married Louis Gouffier, Duke of Roannes (etc) in 1600.  5. M_Ab_ MI____ET (27th Oct 17__)

 
† This probably refers to a princesse étrangère ('foreign princess') a title given by the French king to members of foreign dynasties living in France; previously such persons had been granted a French title. The purpose of this was to attract members of foreign dynasties to France for diplomatic purposes. In this particular case, Princess Claude was from a house of Loraine (Lorraine), then part of the Holy Roman Empire


Saint-Génard Prieuré - Saint-Génard
The church is open during normal hours. There is a car park outside serving the church. Beautiful quiet setting outside the village
46˚ 10' 32" N; 0˚ 8' 13" W
                              

14th century knight. Possibly holding a heart. Nave north wall

Above and near right: 13th century knight in poor condition. The head has been detached but is preserved. Rear of nave, south side

There are a series of these unusual gravestones in the church yard, mostly not named

Parthenay
Collégiale Sainte-Croix
Parthenay is a medieval fortified town which has expanded well beyond its medieval boundaries; it is well worth a visit in itself. There is plenty of free parking. To find the church head uphill in the old town; open during normal hours. 46˚ 38' 54" N; 0˚ 15' 11" W
Effigies of Guillaume VII de Parthenay-l'Archevêque (1402) and his wife Jeanne de Mathfelon (1415) . Polychrome; his of marble, hers of limestone. Heavily restored in the nineteenth century. Note his feet rest on a grayhound rather than the customary lion

Saivres - Église Saint-Pierre
The church is in a pedestrian square with the maire, toilets and wash house; there is a small car park adjacent to the square. The church is locked but a member of staff from the maire will unlock it for you if requested. However the opening times of the maire are limited so, becasue these may change, it is best to check on their website46˚ 25' 55" N / 0˚ 14' 09" W

14th century limestone effigy said to be that of Isabeau de Varrière. At the east end of the north aisle. She was said to have been a mistress of King Henry II (1189) The monument is in a very worn condition.

The church was built 13th - 15th centuries, replacing an earlier church of the 10th century. The monument was said to have been then sited in the position that it occupies today. The church suffered considerable damage during the 100 Years' War, the Wars of Religion and the Revolution, at one time being rendered roofless. In 1872 the church was enlarged and restored and the monument moved to the cemetery. A decision to return it to the church was made in 1929 but this was not carried out until 1976 when it was it was brought back but situated under the belfry. In 1996 is was cleaned and restored and moved to its original position being that it occupies today. These adventures go some way to explaining the poor condition of the monument.

The 'list' states that the effigy is in the cemetery, probably by referring to early sources and I have also seen it said to have been under the belfry, again probably referring later but although now outdated sources.

Thouars - Eglise Saint-Laon
Follow the signposts to Saint-Laon as there are several churches in Thouars. The church is unlocked and you can park outside. The church is a former abbey. 46˚ 58' 29" N; 0˚ 13' 4" W






Above & Left:

Abbé Nicolas Lecoq (1479)
Far Left, Top  Bottom: Margaret Stuart, daughter of James I of Scotland was the first wife of Louis XI of France. To the left is the canopy of her tomb which is all that remains. A modern floor plaque makes her vault and her plain stone coffin may be seen though a grill.



 
<Top of Page>  <Poitou-Charante Index Page>  <Home - Index - Page>