This church, now in the center of the Le Mans, was originally the abbey church of the monastery of St-Pierre-de-la-Couture.  It was built by Bertrand, a bishop from the 6th century.  The façade of the building is from the 13th century as is the impressive tympanum over the door depicting the Last Judgement with Christ in Majesty surrounded by the evangelists and saints.  The wide single nave was built in the late 12th century.  It is designed in the Plantagenet style.  The enchanting white-marble Virgin and Child dates from 1571 and was sculpted by Germain Pilon.  La chapelle du Sacré-Coeur was established in the 14th century to replace a Romanesque chapel.  The woodwork on the side walls come from the old choir stalls and date from the 15th century.  The altar covered with a stone dome or canopy is a rare sight.  It is in the Renaissance style and was sculpted by Gaullier nineteenth century. The marble statues represent Ste-Catherine of Siena on the right and Saint-Dominique to the left. La chapelle de Saint-Léonfort dates from the 15th century.  The altar of stone and marble of the 18th century is dedicated to the risen Christ, triumphant over suffering and death.  In a niche above is this glorious figure of the risen Christ (terracotta 18th century).  On the lower base is the group representing the Crucifixion carved at the foot of the cross.  They are the Virgin and Saint-John, created in the 19th century. Standing on each side are two terracotta statues (19th century) worth mentioning: Saint-Sebastian on the right and Saint-Roch on the left. This particular saint is popular in many French churches as he is the one invoked against epidemics including plague.  This chapel was called the Holy Saviour until the Revolution and even given the name of Saint-Léon, probably because this is the altar that was to be used to celebrate the feast of Saint-Léon by request of Abbé Michel Bureau in the early 16th century.  On either side are life-sized statues representing an unknown saint as well as Saint-Sebastian. The church houses Saint-Bertrand’s famous shroud (9th century) preserved underneath an altar in the beautiful 10th century crypt—altered in 1838, it has pre-Romanesque or Gallo-Roman columns and capitals.