St-Alpin (Villevenard)

Parish Church of Saint-Alpin

Bell tower

portal

The Catholic parish church Saint-Alpin in Villevenard , a commune in the Marne department in the French region of Grand Est , is a Romanesque church from the 12th century. The church is dedicated to St. Alpinus de Châlons , who was Bishop of Châlons in the 5th century . In 1915, the church, in which frescoes dating from the 16th century were discovered in 1935 , was added to the list of architectural monuments in France as Monument historique .

architecture

Exterior construction

The mighty, octagonal bell tower from the middle of the 12th century rises above the crossing , which is pierced on all sides by round-arched twin arcades . The arcades rest on slender columns, the capitals of which are carved with stylized leaves and human heads. A round stair tower is attached to the north transept. The west facade is structured by buttresses. In the middle is a round arched portal framed by archivolts with an unadorned tympanum .

inner space

The church consists of a three-aisled nave with four bays , a transept and a just closed choir . The nave, the oldest part of the church, has a wooden ceiling and is structured by arched arcades that rest on pillars with combatant capitals. The walls of the central nave are broken through by small, arched windows. The south aisle, which also has small windows, dates back to the construction time. The north aisle, which is illuminated by large windows, was enlarged at a later time. The crossing is covered by a ribbed vault which rests on set columns. Leaf capitals from the 12th century have been preserved on the north side, while the capitals on the south side date from a later period. The two transept arms also date back to the 12th century, only the large tracery windows in the Flamboyant Gothic style were installed later.

Longhouse
Pillar with combatant capital
Rib vault with keystone
Tracery window in the transept

Murals

In 1935, frescoes were discovered in the church that are dated to the second half of the 16th century. The scenes depict the sacrifice of Isaac , a Pietà with two small donor figures, the Jacob's ladder , St. Nicholas with the three scholars in a salt barrel and a bishop holding a wicker basket with two birds in his hand.