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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint Quiriace de Crouttes-sur-Marne, located in the department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region, is a religious building built between the 12th and 13th centuries. It stands on a promontory overlooking the valley of the Marne. His original plan, in the form of a Latin cross, consisted of a nave, a choir and a transept, to which were added from the lower side in the 18th and 19th centuries. The square bell tower, adorned with groovy bays and covered with a roof in a building, rises at the cross of the transept, while the bedside ends with a rounded apse.

The patron saint of the church is Quiriace, probably Cyriac of Jerusalem, bishop martyred in Palestine in the fourth century. This saint, venerated especially to Provins thanks to the relics reported by Henri I, Count of Champagne, gives his name to the building. The church once housed a 13th-century cross-reliquary, classified as a historical monument and now preserved in the treasure museum of the Hôtel-Dieu de Château-Thierry. It was included in the inventory of historical monuments in 1928.

The architecture of the church reflects its evolution over the centuries, with medieval elements preserved despite later additions. The location of the building, which dominates the valley, suggests a spiritual and strategic role in the local landscape. Its inscription as historic monuments in 1928 underscores its heritage importance, while the past presence of a prestigious relic bears witness to its religious influence in the Middle Ages.

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