Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Sainte-Colombe church, located in Chevilly-Larue in Val-de-Marne, was first mentioned in 829 as property of the Notre-Dame chapter of Paris. A first building, dated around 550, would have been destroyed in the tenth century. The present church is the result of successive constructions since the 11th century, with repairs until the 19th century. Its history is marked by archaeological excavations carried out between 1981 and 1998, revealing a south side demolished between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as well as an ancient cemetery used from the ninth to the nineteenth century.

The Cistercian Romanesque façade and the nave portal, also a novel, contrast with the 13th century choir and bell tower. The apparent structure, added in the 17th century, replaced a simpler ceiling. Major restorations took place in the 1980s, partially restoring its medieval appearance to the building. The stained glass windows, representing Saint Colombe and the mystical Rose, as well as the 19th and 20th century covering and masonry work, testify to its continuous architectural evolution.

Ranked a historic monument since 19 October 1928, the church was the subject of numerous interventions, notably in 1822 by architect A. Chatillon, then in 1837 and 1882 for roof repairs. The excavations of the 1980s allowed to reconstruct the history of this place of worship, once surrounded by its cemetery until 1860, now marked by a parvis. Its movable and real estate heritage reflects nearly a thousand years of religious and community history.

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