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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Macre, located in the commune of Longueval-Barbonval (département de l'Aisne, region Hauts-de-France), is a religious building dating back to the 12th century. The nave and bell tower, the only remains of this period, bear witness to its original Romanesque architecture. At the beginning of the 13th century, major changes were made: the choir was redesigned, the transept and the lower sides were added, introducing Gothic elements such as the arches of warheads in the transept and the choir. The lower sides, on the other hand, were taken over in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries, with notable modifications such as bays and roofing.

In the 16th century, works affected the vaulting of the transept cross and the north arm of the transept, marking a new phase of architectural evolution. The building, which depended under the Old Regime of the diocese of Soissons, was badly damaged in August 1918 when German troops withdrew, losing part of its walls and its cover. Ranked a historic monument in 1921, it was restored in the same way between 1922 and 1933 under the direction of Lucien Sallez, chief architect of the Historic Monuments.

The Church of Saint-Macre thus illustrates almost nine centuries of architectural and religious history, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and later modifications. Its bell tower, covered with an octagonal arrow, and its nave with apparent solitives make it a remarkable example of Picardian religious heritage. The sacristy and a convention hall, added in the eighteenth century on both sides of the choir, underline its central role in local community life, both spiritually and administratively.

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