Tonnerre Patrimoine

The Church of Saint Peter

The Nave

The nave is unusually short because it abuts the western wall of the old Romanesque church. It consists of a double span divided by columns, similar to the choir. The column to the south is ribbed, with the ribbing alternating with flattened batons, in a pattern similar to Ionic columns of antiquity. On the northern corner of the capital of this column are carved the keys of St Peter.
The vaults are covered in two types of lattice work. This is also true of the ribbed arches that cover the two lateral aisles along the north and south sides of the nave. On one of the capstones of the vaulting of the south aisle is the date 1607, which appears to be when work on the interior of the building was completed.
Two small chapels can be found along the northern aisle. They are separated by curved pillars adorned on three sides with squared pilasters topped off by square capitals. One of the stained-glass windows represents The King St Louis meting out justice under its oak at the Vincennes’s Castle. The southern aisle has two bays, one for the baptismal font and another containing a small entrance door.
In the Middle-Ages, worshippers stood during services. From the 16th century, with the development of long sermons, wooden benches and chairs were rented, with fixed prices (higher during great masses) collected by the “chaisier”. The enclosed wooden benches that flank the nave date to the 19th century. On certain ones can be seen the names of their occupants, written on copper plates.