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Origin and history

The Saint-Saturnin church of Nogent-sur-Marne, built in the 12th century, is a medieval architectural testimony located in Val-de-Marne. Its bell tower, the only element erected at the beginning of the 12th century, is dedicated to Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse. Most of the building, built in the second half of the 12th century, rises on the former "Moyneau" fief, an estate given by Adam II of Beaumont-Gâtinais, seigneur of Villemomble. This territory, initially under the authority of the abbey of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, housed a parish whose church was contemporary of the castle of Plaisance, another local residence.

In the Middle Ages, the church was the place of a post-mess custom where parishioners drank local wine until drunkenness, before going in procession to Saint-Maur. This tradition, reported by historian Arsène Houssaye, illustrates the festive and religious customs of the time. The bell tower, a symbol of the building, was restored in 1730 after degradation, and was classified as a historic monument in 1862, marking its heritage value.

In the 18th century, the church received notable gifts, such as a rococo altar offered in 1721 by financier Joseph Pâris Duverney, grateful for the welcome of the Nogentais. The French Revolution severely damaged the monument, requiring further restorations, including that of liturgical furniture. In 1865, a cenotaph in memory of the painter Antoine Watteau, whose remains were desecrated in 1789, was erected on the court. This monument, decorated with a marble bust, was included in the general inventory of heritage in 1989.

The church's architecture blends Romanesque elements, such as the quadrangular bell tower surmounted by a stone arrow, with Gothic additions, such as the side gate offered in 1914. The latter, coming from a Parisian chapel of the Récolettes, was integrated after the demolition of the western facade in 1853. Inside, the central nave, consisting of four spans, one of which is added later, is rhythmized by column columns supporting warhead cross-sections. The choir, with flat bedsides, houses medieval funeral slabs, including the so-called "spouses", classified in 1988.

The furniture also includes an 18th-century painting, The Adoration of the Shepherds, a copy of a work by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as a secondary altar adorned with angels and coat of arms of the Pâris-Duverney. These elements, combined with frescoes now missing, reflect the artistic and religious evolution of the site. The church, still active in local life, thus preserves tangible traces of nearly nine centuries of Norwegian history.

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