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Origin and history

The Saint-Brice church of Sancy finds its origins in a priory of Benedictines founded around 1088, dependent on the abbey of Saint-Hubert in Ardenne. The present building, built during the 4th quarter of the 12th century, was initially a prioral church before being transformed into a parish church. Changes occurred in the 16th century, such as adding a sink in the northern absidiole, but the state of degradation of the building became critical over the centuries.

In 1848, the architect Bauchet proposed a project to rebuild the nave, finally abandoned. The church, judged to be in ruins, was destroyed in 1867, with the exception of the northern absidiole (preserved as a cemetery chapel) and the basements of the north arm of the transept. These remains, as well as the outbuildings of an adjacent house dating back to the 15th to 16th centuries (rebuilt in the 18th century), still remain. A consolidation of the vault was carried out in 1970 to preserve the northern absidiole.

The northern absidiole and part of the northern wall are listed in the Historical Monuments by order of 21 December 1984. The site, owned by the commune, today bears witness to the medieval monastic history of the region, despite the almost total disappearance of the original building.

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