Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativity Church, located in Villeneuve-le-Comte (Seine-et-Marne), is a transitional Gothic religious building built between 1205 and 1240. It is distinguished by its various materials: sandstone for the pillars, limestone for the frames and grinders coated for the walls. Originally, it had a porch and a belfry tower, but the porch, considered to be old, was destroyed in 1516. The bell tower, modified several times, now reaches 52 meters after adding a needle between 1760 and 1770.

Ranked a historic monument in 1849 and in 1862 thanks to the research of Jean-Eloi Leriche, local parish priest, the church underwent a major restoration between 1865 and 1870 under the direction of Viollet-le-Duc. This work includes the removal of bow-buttons, the replacement of the facade bay with a rosette, and the erasure of medieval paintings. Inside, vaulted with dogive crosses, preserves capitals and arch keys carved of heads, typical of Gothic art.

The church's furniture includes several classified elements, including a 14th century Virgin with Child, funerary slabs (XIIIth-17th centuries), and carved panels from 1642. These objects illustrate the artistic and religious evolution of the site, marked by centuries of local history. The building, owned by the commune, remains a major architectural testimony of the Seine-et-Marne, linked to the diocese of Meaux.

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