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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Félicité, located in Montagny-Sainte-Félicité in the Oise (Hauts-de-France), is a religious building dating back to the 13th century, as evidenced by the pillars of the choir. However, its major reconstruction between 1510 and 1525 in the flamboyant Gothic style gives it its present appearance, with a facade and a bell tower influenced by the Renaissance. The church is particularly famous for its 65-metre stone arrow, the highest in the department after that of Senlis Cathedral, and for its retable of 1568, classified as a historical monument, which illustrates in bas-relief the martyrdom of Saint Félicité of Rome and his seven sons.

The building was donated in 1154 to Saint Vincent de Senlis Abbey, which established a priory and preserved its snack until the Revolution. The oldest elements, such as the supports of the vaults of the choir, date from the 13th century, but the nave and the lower sides were entirely rebuilt in the 16th century, with ogival vaults and wavy pillars typical of the flamboyant. The western facade, the bell tower (classified in 1862) and the altarpiece (also classified) are the jewels of the church, while its furniture includes statues from the 15th to 16th centuries, Renaissance baptismal fonts, and 16th century funeral slabs, such as those of Jean de Montagny (1502) and his wife Marie de Plessy (1515).

The church, now affiliated with the parish of Notre-Dame de la Visitation du Haudouin, is no longer used regularly for worship, except for an annual mass at the patronal feast. Its geographical isolation, in the countryside away from the village, and its adjoining cemetery add to its mysterious character. The stained glass, though simple, and the carved gargoyles of the bedside reflect the local craftsmanship of the flamboyant period. The bell tower, criticized in the 19th century for its "pastiche" style, is now known for its architectural audacity, mixing late Gothic and Renaissance.

The altarpiece of the martyrdom of Saint Félicité, masterpiece of the Renaissance sculpture in polychrome stone, tells in seven scenes the torture of the saint and her sons under the Roman Empire. Ranked in 1862, he dominated the high altar and remained one of the few narrative altarpieces of that time preserved in the region. The statues of St.Sebastien (XVth–XVIth century) and the Virgin of Pitié, today at the Museum of Crepy-en-Valois, as well as the angels carrying the instruments of the Passion (XVIth century), complete remarkable furniture, testifying to the artistic richness of the parish before the Revolution.

The octagonal arrow, 35 metres high and covered with scales, is a rare example of a stone arrow of this period, often compared to those of Baron or Béthisy-Saint-Pierre. The foothills, gargoyles and skylights illustrate the transition between the flamboyant Gothic and the Renaissance, with motifs such as sufflets and carved foliage. The building, classified as a historical monument in 1862, also preserves engraved funerary slabs of Montagny's seigneurial family, sealed in the ground near the choir.

Despite its cultural decline, the Church of St.Felicity remains a major witness to Picardy religious architecture, combining medieval heritage and Renaissance innovations. Its history linked to Senlis Abbey, its classified furniture and its hybrid architecture make it a must-see heritage site of Hauts-de-France, although unknown to the general public.

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