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Origin and history

The Saint Aubin church of Beuzeval, located in Houlgate in Calvados, is an ancient Catholic church today in ruins. Originally dated from the end of the 12th century by Arcisse de Caumont, it was dedicated to Saint Aubin and later to Saint Anthony. A fountain and pilgrimage associated with the latter existed below the building. Work was undertaken in the 15th century, notably on the north wall of the nave, marking an architectural transformation phase.

The church is located in the old village of Beuzeval, integrated since in Houlgate, within the local cemetery. Its architecture combines Romanesque (XII century) and flamboyant Gothic (XV century), as evidenced by its partially preserved porch. This porch, arched in a warhead, features a stone gallery with flamboyant motifs and two bell towers adorned with a badge with three lily flowers from France. The bedside was straight, and the bell tower, described as "modern", contrasted with the interior simplicity of the building, where only a retable of the late seventeenth century remained.

In the 19th century, the development of Houlgate led to the construction of a new neo-Gothic church, inaugurated in 1878, making the old church obsolete. It was classified as historical monuments on 27 April 1948, thus preserving its remains. Among the remarkable furniture elements, Arcisse de Caumont mentions a statue of Saint Aubin of the 15th century, accompanied by a small character probably donor, as well as a altarpiece with torso columns from the chapel of the Beuzeval mansion.

Built in limestone, the church illustrates the stylistic transitions between Romanesque and Gothic in Normandy. Its furniture and decorations, although partially disappeared, reflect the local religious and artistic practices of the 12th-17th centuries. The benches still visible and the partial gallery above the balustrade recall its past community use, before its gradual abandonment after 1878.

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