Saint-Nicolas Church

Saint-Nicolas Church is the oldest religious building in Blois and one of the true gems of the Loire Valley! Look up at its majestic silhouette, standing proudly over the banks of the Loire for nearly nine centuries. What you’re seeing is a remarkable example of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic art, built between 1138 and the early 13th century. Its history is just as fascinating: originally the abbey church of Saint-Laumer Abbey, founded by Benedictine monks in the 9th century, it only took the name Saint-Nicolas in 1792 during the Revolution, in memory of another neighborhood church that had just been destroyed. Take a moment to admire the details of its architecture: the choir still preserves Romanesque ribbed vaults, while the nave is a textbook example of the Gothic style of Chartres. The church is also instantly recognizable by its three towers—the two western bell towers with their soaring spires, added in the 19th century and rising more than 70 meters high, which frame the central medieval lantern tower that crowns the transept crossing. Classified as a Historic Monument as early as 1840, the church is now undergoing a major restoration project worth 3.7 million euros to restore its full splendor. A site steeped in history, right in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage landscape!