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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption d'Ézanville church, located in Val-d'Oise, has its origins in the 11th century. Under the episcopate of Geoffroy de Boulogne (1061-1095), a lady allied with the Montmorency, who became a religious at the abbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Paul-lès-Beauvais, obtained permission to erect an oratory in Ézanville, then a simple hamlet of Écouen. This oratory, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is subject to restrictions: it is forbidden to celebrate marriages or diapers, and it is an obligation for the inhabitants to go to the parish church Saint-Acceul d'Écouen for major holidays. The chapel then falls to the priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, a collator of the cure.

In the 14th century, a steeple without marked style was built, implanted obliquely in relation to the axis of the building. The current choir, which began in the flamboyant Gothic style around 1540, incorporates Renaissance elements such as vault keys and capitals. It consists of three straight spans and a five-paned apse, vaulted with liernes and thirdrons evoking flower petals. The nave of origin, demolished in 1832 for lack of resources for its restoration, was replaced in 1967 by a modern nave of reinforced concrete. Only the first planned span was never built.

The church was classified as a historical monument in 1915 for its choir, considered an architectural gem despite its small dimensions (6 m wide, 15.30 m long). The fragmentary 16th century stained glass windows represent biblical scenes such as the history of Elijah or the Adoration of the Magi. Two 16th century statuettes, classified in 1927, represent Saint Catherine of Alexandria and a holy bishop. The bell tower, the sacristy (former 17th century chapel) and a small low chapel complete the building, now affiliated with the parish group of Écouen.

In the 20th century, Ézanville, established as an independent parish in 1912, experienced significant population growth. A stand is added in the choir to increase the capacity of reception, but the church becomes insufficient. In 1964-1967, a new nave was built according to the plans of architect Sylvain Stym-Popper, under the aegis of the diocese of Versailles, then Pontoise after 1966. In spite of restorations, since 2013, the last two swaths of the choir have been covered with windows and vaults with ivy trees.

The exterior elevation of the choir and bedside contrasts with the simplicity of the rest of the building. The foothills, adorned with chimera and carved foliage, support windows with varied fillings, mixing arches in full hanger and trilobed lancettes. The Renaissance decor, such as rinceaux friezes or hanging keys, coexists with flamboyant Gothic elements, such as wavy pillars or complex rib arches. The sacristy and bell tower, in bells, oppose the cutting stone of the choir, reflecting the different periods of construction.

Today, Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Church welcomes early Sunday Masses every Saturday at 6 p.m. It is part of a parish ensemble including Écouen, Bouqueval and Le Plessis-Gassot. Its furniture includes, in addition to the classified statuettes, a 16th century chapel fence decorated with rinceaux and cherubins, as well as abstract contemporary stained glass windows in the nave. Despite its partial state of conservation, it remains a remarkable testimony of the religious architecture of the Gothic-Renaissance transition in Île-de-France.

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