Eglise Saint Maurice la Clouere

The church of Saint Maurice la Clouère, in Vienne.

On our recent trip to the Charente-Maritime Simon scheduled our first rest break at about an hour and a half from home, at Saint Maurice la Clouère, so we could check out the impressive Romanesque church there. 

Detail of the Romanesque windows and blind arcades.

This large building, erected at the end of the 11th century or beginning of the 12th, has a trefoil footprint that is unique in Poitou. The apse has a series of bays with windows topped by a blind arcade. Many of the decorative carvings feature dragon like animals, a typical motif for the area.                         

Blind arcading.

Sadly, the interior has suffered badly from damp, and despite restorations in the early 20th century, the wall paintings are very damaged and faint. Somewhere in the church there is a representation of three boats, believed to be referencing Columbus's expedition to the Americas, but we could not find it.

Detail of the carving on the south entrance.

The rather cavernous interior.

A symbolic representation of Jerusalem, in graphite ochre.

14th century wall painting of Mary Magdalene.

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