Abbey church of Plaimpied

At the end of the 11th century, some 10 kms south of Bourges, an abbey of canons regular (Augustine order) was founded in what is now Plaimpied-Givaudins. The remaining abbey church, dedicated to Saint-Martin, was built between 1080 and the end of the 12th century.

Chevet and transept

Completed by 1130, the chevet has an apsis boasting a blind triforium and two side chapels.

General view

The interior of Saint-Martin strikes by its elevation and luminosity.

Choir and transept

The side-chapel of the choir can be seen through two arches.

The Temptation of Christ

The choir of the abbey church preserves a remarkable series of decorated capitals. The undisputed gem and an astonishing example of Romanesque sculpture in the Berry is this Temptation of Christ, where the subject is treated with great virtuosity. Carved around 1140 by an artist from Burgundy who also worked in Bourges and whose influence reached as far as Palestine.

Capital

These decorated capitals are often highly skillful adaptations of the classical Corinthian capital, keeping its sense of harmony but adding a powerful message through its imagery.

Capital

Figures are skillfully integrated in the acanthus leaves of the capital.

Capital

The pelican as a symbol for the Passion of Christ.