The Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul is a Roman Catholic church in Neubourg, Normandy, in the north of France. It is generally known as St Paul’s Church. The Gothic style church building of the 15th and 16th century was classified as a historical monument in 1938. The two façade towers are unfinished. Inside are 19th century stained glass windows.
In 1077, the first Lord of Neubourg, Roger de Beaumont, gave part of his forest of Brionne to the church. The church was damaged in the city fire in 1118 when Henry I ravaged the region. Historians think that a restoration occurred at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1260, on the death of Robert du Neubourg, the last of this name, the maintenance of the church returned to the Lord of Combon, husband of Robert’s sister Jeanne.
The Hundred Years’ War caused a lot of damage in the region, and after the liberation of Evreux in 1441, Le Neubourg burned again in 1447 and 1449. Reconstruction took place between 1461 and 1483.
In 1592, the church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul was again damaged by the troops of the Duke of Parma fleeing from Henry IV, the traces of this fire being still visible in the attic. The restoration work that followed was probably completed in 1611, the year that appears on the leaves of the main door. During the 17th century, the church was embellished, and most of the furniture dates from this time.
In 1789, the church was closed during the Revolution and did not suffer significant damage, and a complete restoration was undertaken in 1848.
It was damaged again during the Second World War, especially the bell towers. It was repaired in the 1950s under the direction of Jean Merlet (1910-1976), chief architect of Historic Monuments. The stained glass windows were made between 1960 and 1966.
MARTINA NICOLLS
SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES
MARTINA NICOLLS is an international human rights-based consultant in education, healing and wellbeing, peace and stabilization, foreign aid audits and evaluations, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
Comments
Post a Comment