Basilique royale Notre-Dame-de-Cléry

The Basilique royale Notre-Dame de Cléry, in Cléry-Saint-André just southwest of Orléans, is a late-Gothic collegiate church elevated to the rank of Basilica minor in 1894 and listed as a classified historic monument of France. Its Flamboyant-style tracery windows — characteristic of the most elaborate phase of French Gothic — are considered among the finest surviving examples in the Loire Valley. The church is inseparable from King Louis XI, who designated it as his royal burial site and was interred here in 1483; his tomb, featuring a kneeling bronze effigy, remains in the nave today. Heavily damaged during the Hundred Years' War, the basilica was largely rebuilt in the 15th century through royal patronage. Visitors today find a contemplative pilgrimage church where slender piers, intricate stone tracery, and the tangible presence of French royal memory create an atmosphere unlike the more famous Loire châteaux nearby.