Saint-Hilaire Church, Melle
Facts and practical information
The Saint-Hilaire church is a Catholic church located in Melle, France. The building is classified as a historical monument on April 18, 1914. The church of Saint-Hilaire is also classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, as a stage of the Chemins de Compostelle in France.
The church is located in the French department of Deux-Sèvres, in the commune of Melle.
Named after the first bishop of Poitiers, who died in 367, this church, the largest in Melle, is also the only one still used as a place of worship. According to a 10th century charter, the church depended on the Benedictine priory of Saint-Jean-d'Angély and was probably given to the abbey in 961 by Guillaume Tête d'Étoupe, Count of Poitou. Originally the church was made of wood. It was replaced in the 12th century by the present building. The latter was built in two stages: around 1109 for the choir and the transept, and around 1150 for the nave and the façade. The construction would have been financed by a certain Aimericus Abelini, whose name can be found on a capital of the ambulatory.
New Aquitaine