Église Saint-Martin

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 church of Bézu-la-Forêt is a single-nave building of which the oldest part (nave) dates from the 14th century. North and south transepts were added subsequently. In the first half of the 16th century, it was furnished with a timber porch, a bell tower resting on a remarkable internal roof structure, a broken barrel vault ceiling and decorative elements: stained glass windows, door panels, chancel woodwork. Some later additions were made (apse in the 18th century, sacristy in 1899). The discovery of mural paintings in 1996 is exceptional. These are a cycle of paintings devoted to the Passion of Christ, dated to the first quarter of the 16th century. This ensemble of scenes separated by columns and topped by episodes from the Old Testament, organized in superposed registers, constitutes an important discovery. In the north chapel, another painting devoted to the Massacre of the Innocents (first half of the 16th century) has been partially uncovered.