Église Sainte-Marguerite

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

Description

The church of Sainte-Marguerite of Sainte-Marguerite-en-Ouche is a medieval building dating back at least to the 12th century, the first text mentioning it being a donation charter to the abbey of Bernay by King Henry II dating from 1156. Several building and renovation campaigns affected it notably in the 13th century and at the end of the Middle Ages, after the Hundred Years' War. The sacristy is a much more recent addition dating from the 19th century. It fits perfectly within medieval art in Normandy; numerous comparisons are possible with churches from different Norman departments: notably the church of Selles. It also displays remarkable peculiarities. Indeed, a large part of its roof structures are likely from the second half of the 13th century, which is very rare on a French scale. As regards the roof structures of the bell tower from the end of the 13th century, only 10 churches listed possess a bell tower whose roof structures are from that period in France. The church of Selles in Eure, registered historic monument in 1965, possesses such a bell tower as do the cathedral of Bayeux or the church of Saint-Père of Chartres. Furthermore, Sainte-Marguerite possesses remarkable though incomplete painted decoration. A representation of the Last Supper, dated stylistically to the 12th century by various comparisons, would thus be the oldest figurative medieval painting in the department of Eure. It was part of an ensemble of which only a few traces remain today. Indeed, several decoration campaigns succeeded each other in this rural church in the 13th century then at the end of the Middle Ages and finally in the 19th century; the decoration unfolding on the walls as on the roof structure elements. These decorations demonstrate the commonplace nature of painted decoration in medieval churches, today forgotten due to whitewashing campaigns or destruction from the 17th-18th centuries. The coherence of these painted decorations, suggested by the remains, is to be noted. They testify to the desire for edification of the faithful, pastoral through image but also to the structuring of sacred space and the revelation of the sacredness of the house of God.