|
Oiron
Collégiale-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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 |
|