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Origin and history

The Saint-Ouen de Rocques church, located in Calvados in Normandy, is a religious building whose origins date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. Ranked a historic monument in 1946, it is characterized by architecture combining a 13th century square tower and a 16th century slate bell tower. The building suffered damage during the Liberation in 1944, especially to stained glass windows and porches, before being restored between 1948 and 1949.

One of its most remarkable features is the church's wooden porches, originally juxtaposed. The first, less decorated, seems to have been shortened, while the second, adhering to the gate, presents beams carved of twists and shields to the arms of Cardinal Le Veneur (1505-1539), bishop of Lisieux. A salamander, symbol of Francis I, confirms this date. Inside, the church adopts a Latin cross plan, with a short nave and two chapels forming transept. The walls of the choir and nave date from the 13th century, while the stained glass windows, made by N. Gaudin in 1949, illustrate religious scenes and sacraments.

The church also houses notable historical elements, such as a stone table sealed in the 1664 wall, engraved with a pious foundation by parish priest Marin Polliniez. The bells, rebuilt in 1946 after the destruction of the old cracked bell of 1767, bear commemorative inscriptions. The Fraternity of Charity of Rocques, founded in 1503 under the patronage of Saint Barthélémy, Saint Ouen and Saint Roch, left traces of its heritage, including carved torches and a painting of the Assumption restored in 1639 and 1943. Nearby, a calvary erected around 1871 and an oratory dedicated to Notre-Dame de Grace, built in 1942, complete this religious heritage.

The stained glass windows, blessed in 1949, represent biblical scenes and symbols of the sacraments, while the altars, some of which date from the 18th century, bear witness to the liturgical evolution of the place. The wooden statues, like those of Saint Peter, Saint Ouen and the Virgin, as well as the hexagonal paving of the choir, add to the artistic richness of the building. The church, owned by the commune, remains a place of worship and memory, marked by its medieval history and modern restorations.

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