Church of Saint-Denis d’Aubigné

The church of Aubigné, whose construction took place from the 13th to the 14th century, is with the castle, the oldest monument in the village still visible. From the outside, its simple and imposing Romanesque architecture impresses the visitor. Inside, you can admire in the arms of the transept the Angevin Gothic style vaults characterized by a rounded profile reminiscent of domes. Note that in the Middle Ages, the walls of the choir and the transept were decorated with murals, part of which was revealed in 2008.The church of Aubigné is also remarkable for the 18th century trompe-l’oeil murals that it houses in the transept and choir. The artist did not sign his work but it could be attributed to Pauolo Baronni, an Italian painter born in Plaisance whose presence is attested in Angers between 1750 and 1771. He decorated several churches in the region and enjoyed a certain fame. However, Aubigné’s paintings are exceptional because they are to this day the only ones still visible in their entirety. Pauolo Baronni multiplied the illusion effects on the walls of the choir and the vaults of the arms of the transept. The walls appear covered in pink and brown veined marble, false doors frame the transept altarpieces, the Gothic vaults open onto the sky and a line of columns seems to extend the choir wall.Note that near the church, under the current square, around twenty burials were unearthed in 2008. They date back to the 10th and 11th centuries and constituted the last vestiges of the medieval cemetery destroyed in modern times.