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Origin and history

The collegiate Saint-Michel de Motteville, located in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy, is today the parish church of the commune. It was founded in 1616 by Nicolas Langlois, seigneur of Motteville and first president of the Court of Accounts and Aids of Rouen. The monument includes a 13th century Gothic choir, preserved during the reconstruction of the building between 1616 and 1621. This reconstruction, in red bricks and white stones, is inspired by the materials of the nearby castle. Two bell towers frame the façade, giving the village the nickname of Motteville-les-deux-clochers.

The college was officially formed in 1638 with the arrival of four canons, charged with praying for Nicolas Langlois and his wife, Gabrielle de Maupeou. Four houses are built to accommodate them around the church. In 1681, a sixth prebend was added by the widow of Gorges Langlois, Anne de Monteclair, and their son François Langlois. In the same year, the chapel of the Virgin was built, with archepiscopal approval in 1682. The foundation contract specifies the religious obligations related to the monument.

In 1850, Charles Lebègue, former Minister of Finance and new seigneur of Motteville, built a nave with Romanesque vaults, partially modifying the structure. The church was listed as historic monuments on 24 November 1926, recognizing its heritage importance. Its architecture thus combines medieval and classical elements, reflecting stylistic evolutions and successive sponsors.

Historical sources, including the works of Jean Benoît Désiré Cochet (1853) and Léonce de Glanville, as well as the Mérimée base of the Ministry of Culture, document its evolution. The college remains a testimony of religious and architectural practices in Normandy, Gothic and classical periods.

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