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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Notre-Dame de Béneauville Church, also known as Notre-Dame Chapel, is a Catholic building located in Moult-Chicheboville, Calvados. Originally dedicated to Our Lady, it was later enriched with altars dedicated to Saint Clair, Saint Francis and Jeanne d'Arc. Its history is linked to Troarn Abbey, which acquired land in Béneauville at the end of the 11th century to establish a community, making the church a central place of worship.

The building was built between the 12th and 13th centuries: the choir, in Romanesque style, dates from the 12th century, while the nave, modified in the following century, incorporates Gothic elements like a warhead arch. A bell tower was added in the 13th century, replaced in 1698 by a bell tower. The transformations continued with the closing of Romanesque windows, the replacement of the altar in 1742 to build a sacristy, and major works in 1792.

The church preserves notable architectural elements, such as a cornice of the choir adorned with carved modillons (heads, animals, daily scenes) and a frame shaped like a boat carriage. The nave houses a funerary liter of 1757, decorated with the coat of arms of the local lord, considered the most remarkable element of the decor. Four 13th century acoustic vases remain in the vault of the choir, while historical capitals, including one representing the martyrdom of Saint Blandine (IIth half of the 11th century), enrich the interior.

Ranked a historic monument in 1932, the church benefited from major restorations in the 20th and 21st centuries. In the 1970s, the rediscovery of its ancient structure mobilized the inhabitants and the local priest. A recent restoration has involved roofing, interior walls, funeral liter and stained glass windows. Open to the public during Heritage Days and Church Night, it remains a living testimony of Norman religious art.

The building illustrates the architectural evolution between Roman and Gothic, with a hybrid arcade between the nave and the choir: bases and capitals of novels, but ogival arcade. Its furniture includes an 18th-century altarpiece decorated with a 19th-century painting depicting the Immaculate Conception, as well as a tabernacle. The successive modifications reflect the liturgical needs and aesthetic tastes of the eras traversed.

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