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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Caprais-et-Saint-Vincent, located in Auger-Saint-Vincent (Oise, Hauts-de-France), has its origins at least around 930/940, when Raoul II de Vexin offered the patronage of the cure to the priory of Saint-Arnoul de Crépy-en-Valois. A first Romanesque church, built in the early twelfth century, saw its nave and choir partially preserved in the present building. Between the middle of the 12th and 16th centuries, six enlargement campaigns transformed the church, mixing Romanesque, primitive Gothic, radiant, flamboyant and Renaissance styles, without major stylistic break due to the proximity of the construction periods.

The bell tower, erected around the middle of the twelfth century, dominates the building with its elegant stone arrow. Inside, the dogive vaults of the choir (circa 1150/1160), very curved and archaic, as well as murals, are among the most remarkable elements. The church, although not classified as historical monuments, has been the subject of a five-phase multi-year restoration plan since 2012, the first completed in 2013. It now depends on the parish of Saint-Sébastien de Crépy-en-Valois, where Masses are celebrated irregularly.

The present building, of disconcerting architectural complexity, results from successive additions: a primitive Gothic chapel to the south of the choir (late XII), a south side (early XIIIth), reshaping of the bedside (XIIIth, 15th and 16th centuries), and a Renaissance chapel (mid XVIth). Despite sometimes clumsy restorations (XVIII-XIX centuries) having altered carved details, the church retains unique features, such as its inner spatial uniqueness obtained at the expense of architectural uniformity. Its furniture includes four classified elements, including a 14th century Virgin with the Child and a Christ with the links of the 16th century.

The western facade, described as "serious and noble" by Eugène Müller, presents a revamped Romanesque portal and a Gothic window. The bell tower, located north of the choir – a rare position – has geminied berries and an octagonal arrow flanked by pyr starches. The southern elevations, marked by two chapels with harmonized gables, illustrate stylistic cohesion despite their distinct epochs. Inside, the painted dais of the baptismal fonts (XVI century) and the symbols of the Tetramorph on the vaults of the choir testify to a rich, partially preserved decor.

The history of the parish, linked to the diocese of Senlis until 1801 and then to the diocese of Beauvais, reveals its anchor in the medieval Valois. Raoul II de Vexin, Count of Valois, is the well-known founder. A fraternity of Saint Caprais, active in the 18th century, distributed engraved images of the saint. Today, the church, although disused as an independent parish seat since the 1990s, remains an occasional place of worship and a local heritage being developed, carried by associations and the municipality.

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