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Origin and history

The church of Saint Sebastian of Méguillaume, located at the place-named The Garden in the village of Meguillaume (comune of Putanges-le-Lac, Orne), is originally a Romanesque chapel dedicated to the Virgin, later becoming a place of devotion to St Sebastian. Founded in the 11th century as a parish dependent on the abbey of Saint-André de Gouffern, it is attached to Chênedouit in 1822. The present building, mainly built in the 14th century, preserves a chevron frame dating from 1383-1384 (attested by dendrochronology), as well as 13th century painted holes and decorations, rare in Normandy where most churches were rebuilt in the 19th century.

The chapel underwent major changes: the addition of a bell tower in the 16th century, the reconstruction of the latter after a fire in 1742, and interior renovations in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 13th century murals, rediscovered in 2013, and the triplet novel of the choir (disaggregated during the 2016-2017 restorations) testify to its medieval heritage. This work, carried out by the association Les Amis de l'Église Saint-Sébastien (created in 2008), also restored the roof, the structure damaged by the fire of 1742, and the 17th century altarpiece representing the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 2021, the church houses protected furniture elements, such as a 16th-century statue of Virgin and Child (classified in 1971) and benches of the same century. Its enclosure, including fence walls, is also protected. The first post-restaurant Mass, celebrated on 21 January 2018 by the bishop of Sées, marked his reopening to worship. Today, the building combines Romanesque, Gothic and modern architecture, illustrating nearly 700 years of religious and community history in Lower Normandy.

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