Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame de Lillebonne was built in the early 16th century on a plot potentially inherited from the Roman era. The southern half of the building, including the nave of the late 15th or early 16th century, forms the original heart of the building. The bell tower, erected between 1535 and 1540, was followed by the addition of the gate, completed in 1553. These flamboyant Gothic elements testify to the importance of the building in the city, rebuilt after the destruction of the Hundred Years' War.

In the 19th century, the church underwent major changes to adapt to the needs of a growing population. The choir with cut strips and its side, considered too small, were demolished and rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style between 1873 and 1874 by architect Georges Simon. The sacristies, added in 1888 and 1903 by architects Marical and Lucien Lefort, complement these developments. The bell tower, classified in 1846, and the gate, classified in 1929, illustrate the heritage value of the building.

The church of Notre-Dame replaces the old church of Sainte-Marie-du-Château, destroyed at the end of the Hundred Years War. Its construction is part of a renewal for Lillebonne, a city with a prestigious Gallo-Roman past (formerly Juliobona, capital of the Calètes) and medieval with its Ducal castle. The glass windows, damaged during the Wars of Religion in 1562 and restored several times, reflect the historical tumults of the region.

The materials used, such as Plaimbosc limestone for the bell tower, and the craftsmen mentioned (Michel Delafosse, Henry Deshayes, Joseph Gueroult) underline the importance of local know-how. The lateral chapels, added at the end of the 16th century, and the subsequent restorations (in particular that of the choir in 1873) show a constant desire to embellish and adapt the building to liturgical and demographic changes.

Classified as a historical monument for its bell tower (1846) and its portal (1929), then fully registered in 2009 (with the exception of these already classified elements), the church Notre-Dame today embodies the religious and architectural heritage of Lillebonne. Its history reflects stylistic transitions, from late Gothic influences to neo-Gothic restorations, while anchoring the building in the historic identity of this Norman city.

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