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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Vigor de Perrières is a Catholic building built in the 12th and 14th centuries, located in the village of Perrières, Calvados department, Normandy. It is dedicated to Vigor de Bayeux, bishop of Bayeux in the sixth century, and together with the tithes barn, constitutes one of the last remains of the eponymous Benedictine priory. This priory, founded in 1075 by Richard de Courcy, was attached to the Abbey of Marmoutier de Tours. The church, partially destroyed over the centuries, has undergone architectural changes, notably in the 15th century for the transept and the abside, as well as in the 17th century for the wall bell tower.

The building was listed as historic monuments on March 31, 1928. His history was marked by periods of decline, as evidenced by the state of the choir, reported in very poor condition in 1723. The nave, restored in 1887 by architects Bouillard and Vaubrun, served as a parish church under the name of Notre-Dame. The site also included 15th-century convent buildings, a late 12th-century tithe barn, and a dovecote and mill, now extinct.

The church Saint-Vigor illustrates Norman religious architecture, mixing 12th century Romanesque elements with Gothic and later additions. Its carved decoration, dating from the beginning of the twelfth century, and its bell tower 17th century wall reflect the stylistic and functional evolutions of the building. Today owned by the municipality of Perrières, it remains a testimony of the monastic and parish heritage of the region.

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