Louroux Priory
Priory in France / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Louroux Priory, also known as Château du Louroux, is located in the commune of Louroux in the French department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire region. It was founded in the 12th century by the Marmoutier Abbey. At the time, the Benedictine monastery was one of nine priories belonging to the Touraine abbacy and located in the Tours diocese.
Louroux Priory | |
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General information | |
Type | Priory |
Architectural style | Romanesque architecture, Gothic, French Renaissance, Classical architecture[1] |
Town or city | Le Louroux commune, Loches arrondisement, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region. |
Country | France |
Coordinates | 47°09′38″N 0°47′13″E |
Inaugurated | 1058 A.C. |
Owner | Marmoutier Abbey, Tours |
Awards and prizes | Monument historique (1973, church) Monument historique (1975, dovecote, elevations, façade and roof) |
Designations | Belongs to the Benedictines order |
Website | |
https://www.lelouroux.com/ |
The buildings, constructed between the 11th and 20th centuries, are surrounded by an enclosure and a fortified wall from the Feudal period, with a drawbridge and a standing bridge. Dating from the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Classical eras, the complex includes several buildings, most notably the Prior's Residence, two barns, a dovecote, and a church dedicated to Saint Sulpice. The priory also included a Romanesque building, probably a "Grande Salle", built in the Middle Ages, of which only vestiges remain.
Towards the mid-16th century, with the beginning of the commendam regime within Marmoutier Abbey, the priory was transformed into an agricultural establishment, then came under the administration of the Archbishopric of Tours in the mid-18th century. Leased to farmers, the former priory and its estate were sold as national property in 1791.
The church was listed in 1973. The dovecote, façades, and roofs of the feudal farm buildings were listed on the general inventory in 1975.
The Louroux priory, which has been the subject of numerous restoration campaigns undertaken by the abbots of Marmoutier, was restored in the 2000s.