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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin church of Sartrouville, founded in 1009 under the leadership of King Robert II le Pieux, is one of the oldest religious buildings in Île-de-France. It was built near the monastery of Argenteuil, benefiting from the gift of twenty houses by the sovereign. His bell tower, destroyed in 1369 by the dolphin (later Charles V) during the Hundred Years' War to prevent English troops from serving as a landmark, was rebuilt that same year. This octagonal stone bell tower remains today the only one of its kind in Île-de-France.

Ranked a historical monument in 1933, the church houses remarkable elements such as the Charity of St.Martin (a 16th century polychrome wooden statue) and a set of stained glass windows of 1868, including the Baptism of Christ, attributed to the master glassmaker Mena. A votive plaque pays tribute to Blessed Claude Duval, vicar martyred in 1792 during the massacres in September. The site also preserves the last vines of Sartrouville, vestige of the local wine past destroyed by the phylloxera in 1902.

In 2009, the church celebrated its millennium, and in 2022 it began a major renovation project estimated at €3.5 million. The adjacent presbytery, built in 1865 on the site of the old cemetery, has been home to the Museum of Traditions and Crafts of Sartrovillois since 1989. The building, still active for worship, embodies both the medieval history of the region and the memory of local crafts.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its medieval stone arrow and its location on a hill overlooking the Seine Valley. His furniture also includes a linked Christ (XVIth century, classified in 1969) and stained glass windows dedicated to Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Vincent, patron saint of winemakers. These elements reflect its central role in the religious and social life of Sartrouville, from the Middle Ages until today.

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