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Origin and history

Saint-Loup de Saint-Loup-Hors is a Catholic building located in the Calvados department in Normandy. According to local tradition, it was built at the site where Bishop Loup of Bayeux (circa 440-470) would have buried a monstrous wolf frightening the inhabitants. This legendary story, though unverified, deeply marks the identity of the place and explains its name.

The clocher tower, the most remarkable element of the building, dates from the 12th century and illustrates a well preserved Romanesque style. Arcisse de Caumont, 19th-century historian, describes it as one of the most remarkable in the department. Composed of three floors surmounted by a pyramidal arrow, it has decorative arches and a tympanum depicting Saint Wolf terrorizing the wolf. The rest of the church, often redesigned, mixes elements from the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries, such as the Gothic choir or the Baroque altarpiece.

Ranked a historic monument in 1862, the church houses rich furniture, including classified paintings (such as a 17th century Supper inspired by Rubens) and stained glass windows from the Mazuet workshops in Bayeux. The stained glass of 1905, dedicated to St.Marcouf, and the 17th century altarpiece, from a convent of Cordeliers abolished at the Revolution, bear witness to the later additions. The nave, of Romanesque origin, lost its stylistic unit after successive modifications, such as the suppression of the southern collateral.

The building thus reflects almost a thousand years of religious and architectural history, from its legendary foundation to its medieval and modern transformations. Its early ranking underscores its heritage importance, while its furniture and stained glass windows enrich its artistic value. The local tradition and the studies of Arcisse de Caumont make it an emblematic place of Calvados.

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