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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Cheese Cross, also known as the Cheese Cross, is a cross of paths located in the heart of Omerville, in Val-d Located on Place Saint-Martin, near the cemetery and the mansion of Mornay-Villarceaux, it is distinguished by its atypical patty shape: its four short, equal and evasive arms are inscribed in a disc, unlike the other crosses of the Vexin. Cut into a monolithic limestone block, it rests on a 2.50 m cylindrical barrel, which is placed on a square base. A second, smaller, patted cross is located nearby, rue du Presbytère.

The exact origin of the Cheese Cross remains mysterious. Although an 18th century plan already mentions a cross at this site, it is impossible to confirm whether it is the same monument. Some hypotheses suggest that it would have been moved during the French Revolution since the hospital preceptory of Louvier-Vaumion or that of the Templars of the Villedieu. Its name would come from round cheeses made and sold in the 19th century on the square by the farm of the nearby mansion. An alternative theory evokes a pre-Christian origin, assimilating the cross to a Christianized menhir.

A symbol of the Vexian heritage, the Cheese Cross is one of the 17 or 18 crosses still visible in this region. It was listed as historic monuments on May 2, 1927, recognizing its historical and architectural value. Today owned by the commune, it bears witness to local religious and artisanal traditions, while questioning its distant origins, mixing legend and history.

It should be noted that the Val-d-Oise has several other classified crosses, such as the patted cross of Omerville (near the church) or the four-foot cross, highlighting the importance of these monuments in the cultural landscape of the French Vexin.

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