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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Silly-le-Long Church, located in the Oise region of Hauts-de-France, is a composite building with the oldest parts dating back to the 12th century (abside) and the 13th century (clocher-porche). The latter, initially a bell tower open on three sides, was integrated into the nave during subsequent reconstructions. The building was thoroughly redesigned between the late 14th and 16th centuries, during which time the large arcades of the nave were erected, marked by a transitional style between radiant and flamboyant Gothic.

The large arcades, dated from the late 14th or early 15th century, constitute a rare architectural testimony of this era troubled by the Hundred Years' War. Their pillars, intermediate between fasciculated and wavy, bear friezes carved with a varied iconography (grotesque characters, hunting scenes, pampres). These elements reflect the stylistic evolution towards the flamboyant Gothic, visible also in the sexpartite vaults of the nave, unusual for the sixteenth century.

The lower north side, partly contemporary of the arcades, and the lower south side, higher and adorned with ivy and third-line vaults, illustrate the diversity of the construction campaigns. The apse, rustic in appearance with its simple lancettes, contrasts with the richness of the sides, carefully arched. The church, which was listed as a historic monument in 2001, was restored in 2009, although the nave and the north side are still waiting for interior work.

The building now depends on the parish of Notre-Dame de la Visitation du Haudouin. Its furniture includes several classified items, including a Renaissance altarpiece of 1559 and a bell of 1640. Early Sunday Masses are celebrated every two months, perpetuating its cultural role in the local community.

The church is also distinguished by its exterior, where the bell tower of the thirteenth century, made of medium-scale stone apparatus, is next to the lower side of the hill. The foothills, chimeras and bandages ground above the windows (to the north) highlight the decorative richness of the building. Despite a figure considered banal, its interior architecture, including the arcades and their friezes, makes it a remarkable monument of theoisian religious heritage.

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