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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Saint-Germain de Saint-Germain-de-Livet is a Catholic building located in the Calvados department in Normandy. The present building, built in the 16th and 19th centuries, replaces a Romanesque church of the 11th century, profoundly transformed over the centuries. A seigneurial chapel was added in the 16th century, while major modifications took place in the 17th and 19th centuries, including the installation of stained glass windows and the replacement of primitive windows.

In the 19th century, the medieval church was razed and replaced by a new building, criticized by historian Arcisse de Caumont for its lack of architectural value. The former building was distinguished by its alternation of stones and bricks, especially on the south wall. Despite these transformations, the church retains historical elements, such as the ornaments of the Tournebu family, dated from the late 16th century, located in the chapel.

The church has been partially listed as historical monuments since 5 March 1959, especially for its west façade and the south crusillon gate. It is located near a former 15th and 16th century presbytery and the castle of Saint-Germain-de-Livet, highlighting its anchoring in a wider heritage complex.

Arcisse de Caumont, in his work Statistique monumentale du Calvados (1867), describes in detail the transformations of the building, including the modifications of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the controversial destruction of the medieval church in the nineteenth century. These historical sources allow us to trace the architectural and cultural evolution of this Norman monument.

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