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Origin and history

The collegiate Saint-Martin de Montmorency, located in Val-d'Oise in Île-de-France, is an ancient Gothic collegiate building built in the 16th century. It dominates the Montmorency valley from a rocky spur and is distinguished by its sober and harmonious architecture, designed as a burial place for the Montmorency family. Its fourteen Renaissance stained glass windows, among the most remarkable in France, make it an exceptional monument.

The origins of the college date back to the 12th century, when Mathieu I of Montmorency founded the priory of Bois-Saint-Père and the collegiate Saint-Martin. The construction of the present building began in 1515 under Guillaume de Montmorency, with the completion of the choir and the northern gate in 1531. Anne de Montmorency, son of Guillaume, resumed work in 1557, insisting on the continuity of the flamboyant Gothic style despite the emergence of the Renaissance.

The college became parish church in 1631, a year before the execution of Henri II of Montmorency. After the Revolution, it lost its tombs and furniture, but was classified as a historical monument in 1840. The 19th-century restorations, led by Lucien Magne, revived its stained glass windows and architecture. Today, it welcomes the Catholic faithful of Montmorency and reports to the diocese of Pontoise.

The 16th century stained glass windows, offered by the Montmorency and their entourage, form a gallery of family portraits and religious scenes. Among the most notable, the Alerion stained glass window (No. 11) is considered a Renaissance masterpiece. The larger windows of the collaterals represent donors kneeling before biblical or hagiographic scenes.

The interior of the college, designed by Jean Bullant, impresses with its massive columns and its vaults with liernes and thirdons. The absence of high windows creates an atmosphere of darkness, conducive to its funeral vocation. The mausoleum of Anne de Montmorency, dismantled during the Revolution, was an unfinished masterpiece whose fragments are now preserved in the Louvre.

The college also houses memories of the 19th-century Polish colony, such as the cenotaphs of Generals Kniaziewicz and Niemcewicz. Its bentier, a marble basin of the Château de la Barre, and its 16th century stalls complete rich and varied furniture, witness to its turbulent history.

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