The parish church of Saint-Paterne-Racan opens its doors for the European Heritage Days.
Saint-Paterne church is home to the "Adoration of the Magi" sculptural group, a set of 5 terracotta statues modeled in the 17th century by sculptor Gervais Delabarre, in one of Le Mans?s most famous workshops. The expressive attitude of the figures and the finesse of the modeling are remarkable. It has long been claimed that these statues came from the nearby Abbaye de la Clarté-Dieu, but there is no documentary evidence of this. During the troubles of the French Revolution, the sculpted ensemble was transferred from Tours to the church of Saint-Paterne-Racan. The recent restoration, carried out under the aegis of Monuments Historiques, required over 200 hours of work per statue, in order to restore the original polychromy. Free admission
