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Origin and history

The church Saint-Rémi de Gif-sur-Yvette, dedicated to Bishop Remi de Reims, is a Catholic parish church located in the Essonne department. Its origin dates back to 813, when it was first mentioned in an inventory of the incomes of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. At the time, she was held by a priest named Warodus. The present building was built in the 12th century, and then profoundly redesigned after the destruction of the Hundred Years War in the 15th century.

In the 19th century, the church underwent a controversial restoration under the direction of architect Charles Bruty (1862). The latter masked the original arches with plaster mouldings imitating the Gothic style, altering its medieval appearance. In 1859, Napoleon III offered the parish an Ecce Homo painting painted by Louis Dauberon in 1800. The church was listed as historic monuments on December 21, 1938, recognizing its heritage value.

A major restoration campaign was carried out between 1985 and 1990 by architect Thierry Mariage. The work allowed to find original elements (XIIth–XIIIth centuries), such as a funeral liter of the Mérault family (XVIIth–XVIIIth centuries), consecration crosses of 1561, and a polychrome statue without head hidden behind a partition. The facades were restored in millstone, and interior removed from its neogothic additions.

The church combines Romanesque styles (Geminated Bay Bell), Gothic styles (Dogive vaults, cubic pillars) and Neo-Gothic styles (19th century restorations). It houses works classified as a 18th-century Child's Virgin and 15th-century carved stalls, protected since 1915. Its atypical plan, with a nave oriented east-west but a portal on the south facade, reflects its architectural evolution.

Located on the north side of the Yvette Valley, the church dominates the city centre. Its location, at the intersection of several streets (Neuve, Gustave Vatonne, Alphonse Pécard), makes it a central point of local heritage. The restoration of the surroundings in 1985 also made it possible to sanitize the land and remove unsuitable edicles, giving coherence to its environment.

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