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Origin and history

The Saint-Aubin church of Doudeauville-en-Vexin is a religious construction of Romanesque origin, built in the 12th century under the impulse of a local seigneury or a nearby monastic order. Its original style, sober and massive, reflected Norman architectural cannons of the time, marked by thick walls, narrow bays and a unique nave covered with frame. In the 13th century, the church was placed under the patronage of the Abbess of Fontaine-Guérard, a Cistercian female monastery located near Rouen, thanks to a gift from the lords Guéry of Vittencout and Hughes the valet of Chaumont.

This transfer illustrates the close links between local nobility and religious institutions, typical of Norman Vexin, a region under both French and English influence. The major reconstruction of the building took place between 1520 and 1564, in a context of a post-war artistic revival of the Hundred Years. The artisans drew inspiration from the collegiate church of Écouis, a flamboyant Gothic masterpiece next door, to build a church at once slender and decorated with Renaissance decorations.

This stylistic transition can be seen in the vaults on a dogive cross, the elegant foothills and the filling windows. In the 16th century, the church became a central place of worship for the parish, but also a symbol of regional reconstruction after the ravages of conflict. The glass windows, now missing or fragmentary, could have included seigneurial weapons or biblical scenes, as suggested by the traces of carved stone frames.

In the modern era, Saint-Aubin underwent minor modifications (add of a porch, repair of the roof), but kept his original plan. Ranked or listed in the Historical Monuments (status to be specified), it now embodies a preserved rural heritage, open to visitors and offices. Its bell tower, visible from afar, remains a landmark in the Vexian landscape.

Limited archaeological excavations, carried out in the 20th century, revealed Romanesque foundations under the current choir, confirming the former hold of the medieval building. These discoveries underline the importance of the church as an architectural palimpsest, where each era left its mark without completely erasing the previous one. Since the 1990s, local associations have been working for its restoration, highlighting its carved modillons (human or animal heads) and its western portal decorated with Renaissance motifs.

These efforts are part of a broader dynamic of valuing Norman Vexin, a land of confluence between Île-de-France and Normandy. The church Saint-Aubin, though modest in size, offers a remarkable example of stylistic adaptation between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Its history reflects the political, religious and artistic changes of a border region, while remaining rooted in current community life.

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