La Collégiale, Seen From The Island

The two towers of the Collégiale de St.-Aignan are visible from the point of the island in the Cher River.

Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher is known for, among other things, it's romanesque church. It dates from the 11th and 12th centuries and is distinguished by its two towers, one over the entrance and another over the transept.

The collégiale reaches nearly the same heights as the château to its right.

Another distinguishing characteristic of the collégiale is that the current building sits on top of the original church built on the site. You can visit the vestiges of the original building by descending into the church's crypt, where you'll find some amazing old frescoes.

The towers of the collégiale visible above the Cher River bridge.

But today's post is only about the exterior that you can see from the island at St.-Aignan. The collégiale competes with the château for control of the town's skyline. In fact, from some angles it looks as if the two buildings are one.

Reflections in the river.

A collégiale is a church that, while not a cathedral, is the home base of a chapter of chanoines (canons). I think this is a historical reference in St.-Aignan's case because I don't know of a group of clergy that is based here.

The Saint-Aignan "skyline."