Priory of Saint-Léonard de L'Île-Bouchard
S Leonardi / Insula Buchardi
(L'Île-Bouchard, Indre-et-Loire)
The Priory of Saint-Léonard de L'Île-Bouchard was a dependency of the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Déols (Indre). The site was granted to that monastery in 1065 by Odila and her sons, a donation confirmed by Bouchard III, lord of L’Île. The priory was probably founded around 1067. By the mid-thirteenth century, the priory church had also assumed parochial functions.
The house was damaged in 1562 during the conflicts with the Protestants. Over time, the nave of the church disappeared and, today, only the chevet survives, consisting of the chancel and the ambulatory surrounding it. The ensemble is particularly notable for its remarkable series of historiated capitals, dated to around 1130–1140.
Ambulatory
Capitals arrangement
Capital 1 - Chimeras
Capital 1 - Human heads among foliage
Capital 2 - Adoration of the Magi / Annunciation / Visitation
Capital 2 - Nativity / Annunciation to the Shepherds
Capital 2 - Annunciation to the Shepherds
Capital 3 - Baptism of Christ
Capital 3 - Presentation in the Temple
Capital 3 - Massacre of the Innocents
Capital 3 - Flight into Egypt
Capital 4 - Crucifixion
Capital 4 - Last Supper / Arrest of Christ
Capital 4 - Last Supper
Capital 4 - Arrest of Christ
Capital 5 - Entry into Jerusalem
Capital 5 - Entry into Jerusalemm
Capital 5 - Temptation of Christ
Capital 6 - Foliage
Capital 6 - Fantastic animals
Capital 6 - Fantastic animals
According to Armorial général de France (18th century)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Illustration from Le Magasin Pittoresque (1846)
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
Old postcard, private collection
- BESSE, Jean-Martial (1920). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France, vol. 8, Tours. París : Picard
- CARRÉ DE BUSSEROLLE, Jacques-Xavier (1880). Dictionnaire géographique, historique et biographique d'Indre-et-Loire et de l'ancienne province de Touraine. Vol. III. Tours: Rouillé-Ladevèze
- CROZET, René (1942). Les chapiteaux de l'ancien prieuré Saint-Léonard de l'Ile-Bouchard (Indre-et-Loire). Bulletin Monumental, vol. 101
- CROZET, René (1949). L'Île-Bouchard. Congrès archéologique de France, 106 ss. Tours. Société française d'archéologie
- FLEURY, Gérard (2000). Le choeur et le transept de la Collégiale de Loches. Restaurations du XIXe siècle et sculpture romane en Touraine du sud. Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine, vol. 45
- LELONG, Charles (1977). Touraine romane. La nuit des temps, 6. Zodiaque
The remains of Saint-Léonard Church are located at L'Île-Bouchard, southwest of Tours, near the River Vienne