Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens

The Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, whose name means Saint Peter in Chains, stands in the centre of Nevers, near the junction of the rue des Ardilliers and the rue de la Préfecture, and it is one of the best examples of seventeenth-century church architecture in the town. It began life as the chapel of a Jesuit college, founded in the early seventeenth century, and its construction dates from about 1612 to 1676, which gives it the clear, ordered look of the classical style that was then replacing the Gothic and Renaissance traditions. The church has been protected as a historic monument, and it stands in contrast to the older Romanesque and Gothic buildings of the town.

The facade is the first thing to notice. It is organised in two storeys, with an order of Doric columns below and an order of Ionic columns above, following the Roman system of classical architecture that placed the plainest order at the base and a more slender one higher up. Statues of the Virgin and of Saint John the Baptist stand in niches, and above the main door a frieze shows the instruments of the Passion, the objects connected with the suffering of Christ, which gives the entrance a solemn message. The front is more restrained than the heavy Baroque of some Jesuit churches, and has a calm and dignified look.

Inside, the church holds its most striking feature: painted decoration in the trompe-l'œil manner, made by Italian painters in the late seventeenth century. Trompe-l'œil means fooling the eye, and the artists used perspective and shading to create the illusion of architecture, columns, cornices and openings that do not exist, on flat walls and vaults. The decoration includes large scenes of the Ascension and Pentecost on the vault of the choir, and figures of the Evangelists in the pendentives, the curved triangles that support the dome. The effect is of a space more elaborate than the real structure, and visitors who look up are often surprised by the depth of the painted forms.

The church stands in an old town that is full of interest. The Palais des Ducs de Nevers, an early Renaissance château with a great stair tower, the Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte, the Romanesque Basilique Saint-Étienne, the Porte du Croux and the Quai de la Loire are within walking distance, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nevers, with its collection of Nevers faience, shows the local pottery tradition. Nevers also guards the body of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes in a convent chapel, which draws pilgrims.

The church is generally open to visitors at set times, and entry is free. It suits architecture lovers and anyone who enjoys painted interiors. A visit takes about twenty minutes. Check the hours and be quiet during services.