ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH

Altière, this church of Romano-Byzantine style, dominates the vast square where the statue of Jean-Félix Bapterosses is located, causing the manufacture of Briare's amills and indirectly of this recent building, from the late nineteenth century. Indeed, the previous church devastated by a flood of Loire was demolished in 1856. The state refusing to finance a new construction, the founders of the founder of the factory handled it themselves. Hence his facade covered with a mosaic of amills, which is worth recording in the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments since 1987. It took long before the work began, and René Dusserre - a student of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc - was hired to work with him from 1890 to 1895. The floor of the church has a mosaic of mosaics whose drawing is due to the artist Eugène Grasset. It offers its lot of symbols and rebus: pay attention to these medallions of skillful emailers. The first is to be read as soon as you cross the threshold: bonuses (between good). When you leave, once you have completed your visit, you will see that on the same medallion, you can read melior exi (better out). On both sides of the entrance and always on the ground, four medallions evoke in Latin the four elements: aerate, terra, aqua, ignite. On the façade, the most beautiful mosaic represents Saint Etienne.