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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin d'Ormoy-Villers church, located in the Oise department, is a building dating back to the 12th century, with a Romanesque bedside and a vaulted choir of warheads. However, its current structure is mainly the result of subsequent reconstructions, particularly after the destructions suffered during the Hundred Years' War. In the 14th century, a collateral was added to the south of the choir, doubling its area, but few remains of this period remain today.

The Hundred Years' War profoundly marked the church, resulting in major destructions that required partial reconstruction at the end of the 15th century, in the flamboyant Gothic style. The eastern parts, including the choir and its collateral, were then bent and reworked. The nave and its side, without any marked architectural style, could contain elements of the twelfth century, although their present appearance is the result of modern renovations.

The church was listed as a historical monument in 1970. It is now attached to the parish of Saint-Sébastien de Crépy-en-Valois and retains a coherent 19th century furniture, as well as older elements such as 16th century baptismal fonts. Its history is also linked to the meeting of the parishes of Ormoy and Villers in the 18th century, after the gradual disappearance of the latter.

The church bedside, partially visible from the public domain, preserves traces of its Romanesque origin, including a triplet of bays in the middle of today's clogged hanger. The current vaults of the flamboyant-style choir present adorned arch keys, including one with the arms of the lords of Garges d'Ormoy. The absence of a bell tower is compensated by a skylight housing a bell in the attic of the southern collateral.

The interior of the church, though dark, offers a modest but coherent architectural ensemble, with elements such as a baroque altarpiece and modern stained glass windows replacing those destroyed in 1940. The south elevation, with its symmetrical gable and sound-shafted bays, gives the building a distinctive silhouette in the local landscape. The church remains a testimony of the historical vicissitudes and successive reconstructions that shaped its present appearance.

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