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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Collège Notre-Dame de Montataire, located in the Oise department, was built at the end of the 12th century as an outbuilding of the local castle, then belonging to the Counts of Beaumont. Originally conceived as a Romanesque nave accompanied by low-sides, it underwent major transformations between 1225 and 1260: the lower-sides were vaulted with dogives, Gothic portals were added, and the primitive choir was replaced by a radiant Gothic choir, marked by a polygonal apse and sculpted capitals with great finesse. This choir, considered one of the major achievements of the region with those of Agnetz and Chambly, is distinguished by its brightness and blind archatures inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris.

The church housed a chapter of four canons, named by the bishop of Beauvais, and initially served as a seigneurial collegiate church before becoming the parish church, replacing Saint Leonard, whose ruins disappeared. Unlike many buildings in the region, it escaped the destructions of the Hundred Years' War and the French Revolution, although the latter had abolished its chapter. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, it benefited from several restoration campaigns in the 19th and 20th centuries, notably under the direction of architects Duthoit, Louzier and Paquet. Today, although abandoned in favour of a more central church, it remains an exceptional testimony of radiant Gothic architecture.

The college presents an asymmetrical plane, with an unfinished nave – originally intended to be vaulted like the choir – and collaterals of variable heights. The choir, vaulted with eight branches and illuminated by delicately emplacement windows, contrasts with the Romanesque nave with the large ground arcades and capitals carved with symbolic motifs, such as the confrontation of a chimera and a dragon, often interpreted as an allegory of Adam and Eve. The exterior parts, such as the bedside adorned with gargoyles and vegetal friezes, or the western facade with its circulation gallery, reflect the care given to the decoration, typical of the radiant Gothic.

The bell tower, finished with a rare platform in the area, suggests a defensive vocation, while the two portals in basket cove – one for the inhabitants, the other for the lord – illustrate the social duality of the time. The chapel of the Virgin, vaulted at the same height as the central vessel, and the small northern chapel, with its unique reamping windows, add to the architectural complexity of the monument. Despite its gradual abandonment, the college retains notable furniture, such as a 14th century Virgin with the Child, classified as a historical monument.

The establishment of the church on the edge of a plateau overlooking the Oise Valley makes it a major visual landmark, linked to local history and the nearby castle. Its early classification and successive restorations underline its heritage importance, although its cultural use is now limited. Stylistic influences, combining regional features and contributions from the centre of France, make it a unique building in the religious landscape of Hauts-de-France.

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