Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Germain-de-Paris d'Orly, attested since 985 as possession of the canons of Notre-Dame de Paris, was rebuilt in the 12th century. Its bell tower, fortified during the Hundred Years War, was severely damaged in 1360 in an English siege. About 200 inhabitants had been cut off to resist, but a hundred died and the others were captured or fled. The tower, symbolizing this resistance, kept its stigma.

In the 16th century, the church choir was completely rebuilt, adopting a Renaissance style with an apse surrounded by a walk-through. Later additions of the dogid vaults and the ionic capitals bear witness to subsequent architectural transformations. The murals, dedicated to Marian iconography as the Education of the Virgin, probably date back to this or subsequent centuries.

During the French Revolution in 1793, Catholic worship was abolished in Orly. The priest Claude Monsaldy, imprisoned, escaped the guillotine thanks to his call to the municipality. The church, renamed Temple of Reason, then served as a meeting room for the General Council of the commune. At the beginning of the 19th century, architect A. Chatillon consolidated the choir, replacing some vaults with structural structures and changing the roof of the walk.

The bell tower, covered with a slate, and the choir classified as Monument Historique in 1996 today illustrate this heritage rich in twists. The engraved inscriptions, like R.S.Z. 1772 or the name MALARDIER L., recall the traces of the artisans and faithful who marked his history. The successive transformations, from medieval fortifications to modern restorations, bear witness to the religious, political and architectural evolutions of the region.

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