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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Presles-et-Boves, located in the department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region, is a religious building built in the 13th and 14th centuries. It presents a four-span Romanesque nave, initially accompanied by low-sided, while the choir and bell tower were rebuilt between 1300 and 1312 under the impulse of Raoul de Presles, local lord and high royal official. The latter, together with his wife Jeanne de Chastel, financed the erection of two chapels dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Nicholas, testifying to the progress of the works at that time. Donors were also buried there, emphasizing their commitment to this place of worship.

The monument has undergone several major changes over the centuries, notably in 1439 and 1755, after damage attributed by oral tradition to the Wars of Religion. The Hundred Years' War marked the building in particular: in 1358, the troops of Charles the Bad and Navarre, then in 1422, the clashes between Armagnacs and Bourguignons, destroyed much of the nave, saving only the southern gate. This portal, restored in the 20th century, features a partially destroyed tympanum and a six lobes oculus, characteristic of Gothic art of the time.

The church, classified as a historic monument in 1912, was also severely damaged during the two world wars. In 1918, during the German retreat, only the vaults of the transept survived, requiring an identical reconstruction between 1920 and 1932 by architect Lucien Sallez. In 1940, fighting in May and June again damaged the nave and choir, resulting in a new restoration campaign from 1941 under the direction of Jules Kaehrling. These successive interventions helped to preserve key elements such as the 14th century portal, while adapting certain parts, such as flat and slate tiles.

Originally dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the church temporarily took the name of Notre-Dame after the meeting of the parish priest in 1735, before returning to his initial dedication. Under the Old Regime, it depended on the diocese of Soissons and housed three chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Nicholas. Its history thus reflects the political and religious upheavals of the region, as well as the ongoing efforts to preserve this architectural heritage.

The present structure of the church reveals a nave reduced to a single span, accentuating the monumentality of the transept and the two-span choir. The envelope wall, carried to the end of the foothills, and the porch added in the interwar by Lucien Sallez, illustrate the architectural adaptations over the centuries. The materials used, such as concrete slabs for bottoms or flat tiles for roofing, reflect the restoration techniques used in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Finally, Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Church embodies a local place of memory, marked by conflicts and reconstructions. Its classification as historic monuments in 1912, as well as successive restorations, underscore its heritage importance. Today, it remains an architectural testimony of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, while bearing the traces of later eras, from the wars of Religion to the two world wars.

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