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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin church of Gonneville-Le Theil, located in the Manche department in Normandy, is a Catholic building built from the 14th to the 18th century. Placed under the name of Saint Martin, it bears witness to an ancient foundation, probably linked to the early Christianization of the region, favored by the proximity of a Roman way. From the 12th century, it was attached to the collegiate church of Nehou, founded in 1105 by Richard de Reviers, a local baron, before being assigned to the abbey of Montebourg in 1152. In the 14th century, the priest's incomes, initially modest, increased significantly, allowing him to own a mansion and land.

In the 18th century, the church benefited from major enlargements, notably in 1740 thanks to the financing of François Jouenne, a parishioner enriched in Paris. The latter also finances the construction of the porch and the creation of three schools. The French Revolution marked a turning point: ecclesiastical property was sold or destroyed, with the exception of the church and the presbytery. Two statues, those of Saint Martin and Saint John, were saved by a parishioner, Jean Renouf, who buried them to protect them. After the Revolution, successive priests such as Gilles-François Pinabel and M. Corbin restored the building and its furniture with personal funds or donations.

The architecture of the church combines a nave of the 15th century, a Gothic choir of the 16th century vaulted in a dogive cross, and modifications of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the enlargement of the windows and the addition of a porch. The bell tower, restored in 1900, houses a chapel dedicated to Saint Eloi, invoked to heal children. The building, inscribed with historical monuments in 1972, preserves remarkable furniture, including 15th and 16th century statues, a 17th century altarpiece, and liturgical objects restored in the 19th century. Its history reflects the religious, political and social upheavals of Normandy over nearly a thousand years.

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