Église Saint-Martin

Romanesque church of interest for its simple architecture and the works of art it contains.

The church at Brette has Saint Martin as its patron saint. It was located on the pilgrimage route to the shrine of Saint Martin in Tours until around the end of the 11th century.

Off-centre from the town and built on a west-east axis, it is only mentioned in 1330, but historians believe that it was built at the end of the 11th century (or even the beginning of the 12th). Traces of this period remain on the southern wall of the nave (with a "fern leaf" appearance). The church was built in the pure Romanesque style, but information about it was limited until 1850. It is known that the church was in a particularly poor state of repair by this time. Several stages of construction can be identified, including the addition of a tower (in the 13th or 14th century) and a few renovations in the 17th century, but it was mainly at the end of the 19th century that major restoration work was carried out.

The church is in the shape of a Latin cross, with a large apse in the chancel and two apsidioles in the chapels. There is a mosaic paving stone and several stained glass windows, the one at the back depicting Saint-Martin and those on the side Saint Julien and a bishop. There are two rose windows in the chapels and a total of seven windows in the building. The bell tower is 28 metres high and contains two bells (the oldest dating from 1801, the second from 1900).

Several works of art in the church are listed:
- a painted wooden Christ on the Cross, commemorating a mission carried out in 1689 ;
- a 16th-century sculpted terracotta group depicting Saint-Martin on horseback;
- a 17th or 18th century painting depicting the Miracle of St Julien;
- the remains of a mural painting on the porch wall, unfortunately somewhat faded.

Keys to the interior can be collected from the Town Hall.