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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Grégoire of Saint-Grégoire-du-Vièvre came into being in the 13th century, when it was built under the authority of the bishops of Avranches, who held the barony of Saint-Philbert. This ecclesiastical bond marks its anchor in the Norman religious network. After the ravages of the Hundred Years' War, the building underwent partial reconstruction, incorporating defensive and decorative elements characteristic of the late medieval era.

The current structure presents a rectangular plane, with a nave extended by an illuminated choir of filled third-point bays, typical of Gothic. A bell tower, added in 1886, leans against the nave, whose walls alternate flint and limestone in a geometric decor. These walls house 16th-century graffiti, engraved in black flints, depicting figurative scenes (persons, animals) and a critical rebus on social injustice, offering a rare testimony of the mentalities of the era.

The interior light is filtered by a series of stained glass windows made between 1895 and 1910 by the Duhamel-Marette and Muraire workshops, adding a late-century artistic dimension to the building. These stained glass windows, combined with medieval elements, illustrate the historical strata of the monument. The church, registered with the Historical Monuments in 2008, now belongs to the commune and retains a major heritage value for Normandy.

Its flat bedside and interior decorations, although partially redesigned, reflect architectural and cultural developments between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Graffiti, in particular, is an exceptional iconographic corpus, studied for its symbolism and technique. Their presence suggests a variety of church attendance, ranging from faithful to local artisans.

The location of the church, in the department of Eure, makes it a link of Norman religious heritage, marked by the influences of the bishops of Avranches and historical upheavals (wars, reconstructions). Its present state of conservation, considered satisfactory (note 7/10), allows for an in-depth study of its material and immaterial characteristics.

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