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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Étienne de Chalmaison, located in the Seine-et-Marne department in Île-de-France, is a Catholic building whose origin could go back to the Carolingian period, as suggested by the archaeological remains and the extent of its parish territory. Until the twelfth century, it depended on the bishopric of Sens, before being attached to the diocese of Meaux after the Revolution. In 1160, his patronage was entrusted to the abbey of Saint-Jacques de Provins, where Augustine canons founded a priory that remained until the Revolution. The present building, partially rebuilt in the 13th century (chœur and transept), suffered destruction during the Wars of Religion in 1567, requiring a subsequent reconstruction of the nave.

Ranked a historic monument in 1930, the church was the subject of numerous restorations, notably in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with a long date of 1723. In the twenty-first century, two countrysides concerned the apse and the southern chapel, revealing medieval polychromies on the capitals and reopening a murated door. In 2008, two commemorative windows, works of master glassmaker Gilles Rousvoal, were installed in the chapel of the Virgin. The exceptionally rich furniture (59 classified objects) includes retables, paintings, sculptures and funerary slabs, bearing witness to its historical and liturgical importance.

The architecture of the church combines medieval elements (chapitals, baptismal fonts) and later additions, such as chandeliers or choir panels. Its history reflects the religious and political upheavals of the region, from the Carolingian era to contemporary restorations. Liturgical objects, such as Parisian graduations or bells, underline its central role in the community and spiritual life of Chalmaison.

Among the remarkable elements are a altarpiece dedicated to St Stephen, patron saint of the church, as well as bas-reliefs and wooden statues, some of which date back to the Middle Ages. Recent restorations, led by Jacques Moulin, have made it possible to highlight these treasures, while preserving the memory of past interventions, such as those related to Abbé Ménardais, commemorated by the stained glass windows of 2008.

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