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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin de Treuzy-Levley, located in Seine-et-Marne, finds its origins in an 11th century ford tower, enhanced in the 14th century and fortified by order of Charles V in 1360. This tower, initially defensive, was transformed into a bell tower between 1461 and 1492 under the impulse of Louis XI, who ordered the addition of naves and bell towers to the ford towers of the kingdom. Prior to this period, priests from Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire came to celebrate Mass in Treuzy around the year 1000, attesting to an ancient religious presence.

The church's architecture combines defensive and religious elements: a unique nave with semicircular apse, a north tower-clocher pierced with geminied bays, and an appentis porch with full hangar portal. The box, built in 1530 in late Romanesque style, served as a place of commerce and once housed the town hall. Restored in 1993, he uses stones from a nearby Merovingian cemetery, reflecting the site's seniority. The bronze bell, founded in 1732 by Jean Capitain and Louis Lorguilleux, bears inscriptions related to the king's entrepreneurs.

Inside, the church preserves traces of its multisevere history: a choir dating perhaps from the year 600 (Merovingian period), 12th century polychromes illustrating the New Testament, and an 18th century Baptistery decorated with godons. The Blessed Virgin with the Child, a 19th century neo-classical sculpture, and the wooden altar in the form of a tomb recall liturgical developments. The building, registered to historical monuments since 14 April 1926, now belongs to the parish of Nemours, in the diocese of Meaux.

The stained glass windows and furniture reflect past usages: the nave, a place of assembly and commerce until 1789, housed a standing public during the medieval offices. Restorations, such as that of the bell rooster damaged during the Second World War, preserve this heritage that has been mixing military, religious and community history since the Middle Ages.

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