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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Aubin de Cauffry, located in the Oise department in the Hauts-de-France region, is a parish Catholic edifice whose nave dates back to the Romanesque period, albeit heavily remodeled. Its building bell tower and choir, dating from the last quarter of the 12th century, mark the transition between Romanesque and Gothic styles. These elements retain Romanesque features, such as the so-called beauvaisines cornices and the triplet of the flat bedside, while integrating arches of early warheads. The initial plan, simple and typical of the rural churches of Beauvais, includes a naf-grange followed by a bell tower and a choir without transept.

The bell tower, the most remarkable part, has a belfry floor adorned with gemelated bays subdivided into arcades, flanked by columns with capitals. This model, which appeared at the end of the 12th century, became an archetype of regional Gothic bell towers. Cauffry offers a rare Romanesque variant. The later reshuffles (from the 13th century) added a porch, a north side, enhanced the nave, and added two chapels to the north, devoid of marked style. The building, dedicated to Saint Aubin and Saint Geneviève, was classified as a historical monument in 1930.

The nave, although of Romanesque origin, lost most of its distinctive features as a result of later modifications, such as the extension and reconstruction of the southern wall. Only isolated elements, such as the lintel and tympanum of the western portal, now sheltered under a porch, remain. The choir and the base of the bell tower, on the other hand, retain a stylistic homogeneity, with carved capitals (denuphar leaves, hooks) and an archaic dogive vault evoking a dome. The northern chapels, added later, are distinguished by their simplicity and absence of carved decoration.

The exterior of the church reflects its architectural evolution: the bell tower, flanked by glacis foothills, has beauvaisin cornices and gemelated bays with capital columns. The bedside, supported by primitive Gothic foothills, presents a triplet of berries in the middle of the hanger with brushing painted with plant motifs. Nearby, a classified cemetery cross, now staked, bears witness to the ancient funeral space assigned. The building also houses three classified furniture elements, including 13th century baptismal fonts and a 16th century Virgin of Mercy.

The church Saint-Aubin illustrates the rural religious architecture of Beauvais, marked by the transition between Romanesque and Gothic. Its classification in 1930 underlines its heritage value, both for its authentic Romanesque parts (primitive nave, bell tower) and for its later additions, reflecting the liturgical and community needs of the 11th–12th centuries. Joined the parish of Saint Martin du Liancourtois, it remains an active place of worship and a witness to local history.

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