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Heritage classified

Origin and history

Saint-Pierre de la Selle Church, located in Juignettes in Normandy, is a religious building built at the edge of the 15th and 16th centuries. Its structure is distinguished by an extended rectangular nave of a narrower choir, itself completed by a sacristy dated 1744. The building, mainly built of ferroruginous sandstone, flint and limestone, has an interior marked by a panelled frame, whose elements of the choir, painted in trompe-l'oeil, are dated 1676. The nave sandstones, decorated with carved human heads, bear witness to an older structure.

The church furniture includes an alabaster altarpiece from the early 16th century, considered exceptional. Originally parish church of La Selle, it lost this status in 1844 when this commune joined Juignettes. The current state of painted panelling is considered alarming, stressing the urgency of preservation. The building, fully protected by a 1998 order, now belongs to the municipality of Juignettes.

The building of the church reflects the architectural techniques of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance in Normandy. Its plan in embedded elements, typical of some rural churches, illustrates a pragmatic adaptation of liturgical spaces. The choice of local materials, such as ferroruginous sandstone, is part of regional constructive traditions, while interior decorations, such as painted paneling, reveal a desire for progressive beautification over the centuries.

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