Baptismal Font — Lye, Indre

This simple medieval font at Notre-Dame, Lye, consists of a plain, slightly tapering circular bowl set above a moulded necking and a conical stem rising from a thick circular base. The overall form—broad shoulders, inward-sloping sides, and a clean, undecorated profile—suggests a 13th-century origin, though the surfaces have been heavily limewashed and show signs of later recutting.
The bowl is substantial and deep, with a faintly defined rim and a softened transition into the lower moulding. The stem below is gently flared and stands on a rounded plinth that merges into the floor level, giving the piece a robust, grounded appearance typical of rural medieval fonts in the Berry and northern Indre region.
The current metal cover is modern and functional. Despite its plainness, the font is a characteristic example of the unadorned Gothic forms favoured in smaller parish churches of central France, where emphasis was placed on solidity and utility rather than carved decoration.
