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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin d'Amblainville, located in the Oise region of Hauts-de-France, has its origins at least in the eleventh century, the supposed time of the construction of its nave. The latter, although reworked, preserves Romanesque traces like curved windows and portions of wall in opus spicatum. The foundation of the parish was attested in 1104, when Lord Ade de Moussy gave it to Saint-Martin Abbey of Pontoise, marking the beginning of its development as a parish church. The pure Gothic transept and choir date from the first quarter of the 13th century and remain among the most authentic parts of the building.

In the 16th century, the church underwent important transformations: the overturned girdled frame, dated 1505, and the flamboyant Gothic gate of the second quarter of the century bear witness to this. In 1586, two Renaissance-style side chapels were added, enriching the architectural ensemble. These chapels contain remarkable decorative elements, such as a bas-relief of the Adoration of Shepherds and paintings of earthenware of the 19th century. The interior decor, which was thoroughly reworked at the end of the 19th century by Abbé Eugène Barret, incorporates a neo-Gothic iconographic program, including a path of the cross in bas-relief, statues of biblical characters and false arches of warheads.

Ranked a historic monument in 1982, the church was partially restored in the 21st century, especially for its roof and exterior elevations. Despite these interventions, elements such as the flamboyant balustrades of the coasts were removed in 2005, modifying the external aspect. The furniture, including a Pietà classified from the 15th to 16th century and the neo-Gothic creations of Abbé Barret, reflects the historical strata of the building. Today affiliated with the parish of Saint-Martin de Méru-lès-Sablons, the church welcomes occasional offices and remains an eclectic testimony of regional architectural and artistic evolution.

The church is distinguished by its exuberant interior decor, desired by Abbé Barret (1876-1893), which has superimposed plated archatures, statues and neo-Gothic bas-reliefs with medieval structures. This decoration, inscribed in the title object in 1991, contrasts with the sobriety of the eastern parts of the thirteenth century, vaulted with warheads and adorned with acanthe-leaf capitals or hooks. The Renaissance chapels, with their vaults with liernes and thirdons, illustrate the transition between Gothic and Renaissance, while the western facade, marked by a flamboyant portal and lateral niches, bears witness to the influence of this hinge period.

The archaeological site around the church reveals an ancient occupation, with the discovery in 1835 of eighty Merovingian sarcophagi near the former chapel Saint Peter. This necropolis attests to the early Christianization of the site, well before the first written mention of the parish in 1104. The successive transformations, from Romanesque origins to neo-Gothic additions, make it a composite building, where each epoch left a visible mark, despite the controversies on some restorations, such as the suppression of flamboyant balustrades in 2005 in the name of an alleged restitution of the state of the sixteenth century.

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