église Saint-Étienne

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The parish is cited in texts from 984 onwards, implanted, according to legend, on the sacred site of Brébonne where a spring flowed, still present under a stone tabernacle. The rectangular nave is extended by a square bay separated from the apse by a triumphal arch. A sacristy was added, with a staircase giving access to the bell tower. The nave preserves the oldest elements, including the Romanesque portal to the south. The choir bay preserves painted decoration from the 14th century, representing the head of a figure. Important interventions took place in the 15th century, such as the flamboyant Gothic portal of the west entrance. The bell tower with octagonal spire was rebuilt by Gaspard Georges in 1861.

Description

The building presents architectural elements from the 12th century in the nave and choir bay, an apse with five bays with Gothic tracery, an aumbry, a lavabo and a portal from the second half of the 15th century, a fountain of devotion from the 17th century, a bell tower completed in 1861 by architect Gaspard George, and some stained glass from the end of the 19th century. The choir bay preserves a fragment of mural painting from the second half of the 15th century. The trace of three haloed apostles allows one to suggest the hypothesis of an apostolic college accompanying Christ, represented no doubt in the cul-de-four. The use of thin render, the use of natural pigments in a reduced chromatic range, the appearance of quintefoils in semis, the graphic style and modelling of the figures with curled hair, are elements which allow this decoration to be dated to the second half of the 14th century.