Notre-Dame (Deuil-la-Barre)
The Catholic parish church of Notre-Dame (also Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Eugène ) in Deuil-la-Barre , a parish in the Val-d'Oise department in the French region of Île-de-France , was built in the 11th century . Since 1962 the church has been on the list of architectural monuments in France as Monument historique .
history
The church of Deuil-la-Barre was originally dedicated to St. Eugen, who was a martyr and companion of St. Dionysius , the first bishop of Paris , was venerated. Sometimes he is confused with Archbishop Eugene of Toledo . In the 9th century the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Denis wrote his Vita . Then the bones of the saint were miraculously found in Merovingian times near Deuil-la-Barre. When they tried to take them to a burial place on an ox cart, the ox stopped in a field. This was taken as a sign to build a church at this point. The relicsof St. Eugene became a destination for pilgrimages in the 8th and 9th centuries . However, they were brought to the Saint-Denis Abbey around 850 to protect them from looting by the Normans .
In 1090 the church came into the possession of the Saint-Florent Abbey in Saumur , which built a priory in Deuil-la-Barre and had the church rebuilt. Since the church was also used as a parish church, it was divided into two areas, each with its own altar. The area that served as the parish church received the patronage of the Birth of Mary . The choir was used as a monastery church and was dedicated to St. Consecrated to Eugene. In 1119/1120 Abelard's stay in the Deuil priory is documented.
In the 13th century, the monks enlarged the choir and rebuilt it in the Gothic style . Further renovations took place in the 15th and 16th centuries, especially after the Hundred Years War , during which the church was damaged. The priory began to decline in the 16th century. In the middle of the 18th century the church was lengthened by a yoke and new windows were installed. After the completion of this construction, the church received part of the relics of St. Eugene returned from the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
In 1764 the convent buildings were sold to nuns and after the revolution of 1789 the buildings became the property of the parish. In 1879/80 further alterations and restorations took place, which led to the fact that the church was removed from the list of monuments historiques. In August 1944, a V2 rocket fell on the church, destroying the choir and the ship. After the war, the church was rebuilt in its original style using the old stones and consecrated again in 1955. In 1962 it was again included in the list of Monuments historiques.
architecture
The church is made of quarry stone masonry . Like the choir, the church tower has regularly hewn ashlar masonry and dates back to the 12th century. The two upper floors are pierced on all four sides by round-arched twin arcades. Between the two levels runs a cornice with cantilevers that are decorated with faces. The originals are now in the Musée national du Moyen Age (Musée Cluny) in Paris .
The interior gives the impression of a Romanesque church. The nave is divided into five bays. The main and side aisles are separated from one another by mighty arched arcades that rest on pillars with pillars . The columns have carved capitals . A capital with stylized leaves dates from the 11th century. The capitals with figurative representations such as the fall of Adam and Eve , the death of Abel and Daniel in the lions' den are dated around 1130. Some of the originals are in the Musée national du Moyen Age (Musée Cluny) in Paris.
The choir was built around 1220. It is bordered by arcades that rest on double columns. The capitals are carved with leaf motifs. The ambulatory has a ribbed vault .
Three coats of arms are depicted on the keystones of the ribbed vault above the crossing . The coat of arms of the Lords of Montmorency recalls Hervé de Montmorency, who donated the church to the Abbey of Saint-Florent in Saumur in 1090. The three ox heads represent the coat of arms of the priory of Deuil and are a reminder of the foundation of the church and of the ox cart with which the remains of St. Eugene were transported. The third coat of arms is the coat of arms of Saint-Florent Abbey, which owned the monastery until the Revolution.
literature
- Dominique Foussard, Charles Huet, Mathieu Lours: Églises du Val-d'Oise. Pays de France, Vallée de Montmorency , Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Gonesse et du Pays de France, 2nd edition, Gonesse 2011, ISBN 978-2-9531554-2-6 , pp. 80-83.
- Le Patrimoine des Communes du Val-d'Oise. Flohic Éditions, Volume 1, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-84234-056-6 , pp. 241-243.
Web links
- Église prieurale et paroissiale de Saint-Eugène in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 58 ′ 34.3 " N , 2 ° 19 ′ 33.3" E