If you are visiting the village of Villandry you have probably gone to explore its Chateau and its beautiful gardens and not its church but it is worth seeking it out for a look. You will already have seen it from the gardens but a short walk will get you in front of its main portal.

You may not always find the church of St.Etienne open but if closed you can check with the maire. On our visit it was and we had the pleasant surprise of  Procol Harum's 'Whiter shade of pale' playing in the background.

The Romanesque church dates from the eleventh (nave) and twelfth centuries, with the addition of the side chapels.

The church organ was donated at the end of the nineteenth century by Stephanie Oudinot, wife of Baron Hainguerlot , the then owner of the castle.

Saint-Etienne was attached to the priory Saint-Cosme in 1505. Charles Ronsard (1559) became one of its first priests.

Where's Joan?...she's here!

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