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Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame du Bocasse, located in the eponymous commune in the Seine-Maritime, was built between 1521 and 1528, as evidenced by an interior inscription near the pulpit. This religious building, dependent on the parish of Saint-Jean-Bosco de Montville, embodies Norman Renaissance architecture with its nave, choir and sacristy aligned longitudinally. Its history is marked by phases of restoration and local tensions, especially in the nineteenth century.

In 1734, three bells were installed in the bell tower under the sponsorship of Louis-Robert Mallet, Count of Clères, and his wife Françoise Martel. A century later, in 1861, a municipal report revealed an advanced state of degradation: cracked soil, damaged roof and broken bells. Mayor Albert Raupp then launched renovations, partially financed by a local subscription. The Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871, however, delayed their completion, and a new bell, made in Metz, was installed only after the conflict.

The church houses a remarkable artistic heritage, including two wooden bas-reliefs (circa 1650) illustrating biblical scenes, and two paintings at the entrance of the nave. The high altar, decorated with angels and coats of arms of the Charles Martel and Suzanne d'Orléans-Rothelins families, bears witness to the links between the building and the local aristocracy. Stained windows represent Saint Philibert and Saint Jeanne d'Arc, while a statue of Thérèse de Lisieux and an altar dedicated to Notre-Dame de Lourdes complete the iconography.

In the twenty-first century, major work was undertaken to save the bell tower, which had been under dangerous pressure for years. Demonstrated in 2021 with its bell, it was restored alongside the roof, whose work was completed in 2022. These interventions illustrate the ongoing efforts to preserve this monument, a symbol of the Bocasian community and religious life for five centuries.

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