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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame Sainte-Marguerite, located in Glaignes in the Oise (Hauts-de-France), was built at the beginning of the 13th century in a primitive Gothic style, although some elements such as the windows in the cintre and the bell tower still evoke Romanesque architecture. Its construction took place in three close campaigns, beginning with the choir, followed by the bell tower, the nave, the lower side and the façade. Once completed, two side chapels were added to the north and south of the first span of the choir, which also served as the base for the bell tower. The church was listed as a historic monument on October 22, 1913.

The church is distinguished by its well-composed western façade, adorned with a rosace and a third-point portal, as well as its Romanesque bell tower, characteristic of the region. Inside, the un vaulted nave, covered with a plastered wooden ceiling, contrasts with the choir and vaulted chapels of warheads. The large arcades of the nave, ground and decorated with capitals carved of various leaves, testify to an aesthetic research despite an economical construction. The 13th century baptismal fonts, classified in 1913, and a 16th century statue of St.Marguerite, now preserved at the Crépy-en-Valois Museum, are among the outstanding furniture elements.

The history of the parish of Glaignes dates back at least to the end of the 12th century, and the present church has replaced an older building. Under the Ancien Régime, the parish depended on the diocese of Senlis and the dean of Crépy-en-Valois. After the Revolution, it was attached to the diocese of Beauvais in 1822. In 1996, Glaignes was integrated into the parish of the Autumn Valley, centered on Verberie, reducing local celebrations to a few annual Masses. The restored church is now in a remarkable state of conservation.

The furniture includes, in addition to the baptismal fonts, a Christ on the cross of the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, a baroque tabernacle, and 19th-century stained glass windows offered by Viscount Henry Le Sellier de Chézelles. These stained glass windows, imitating the 13th century style, represent Saint Cecilia, a Pietà and Saint Henry. The building, though modest, illustrates the architectural evolution between the Romanesque and Gothic periods, as well as the adaptation of rural parishes to successive ecclesiastical reforms.

The church is located on a terrace on the hillside, on the western edge of the village of Glaignes, overlooking the Sainte-Marie Valley. Its bedside is visible from afar, while its western facade, preceded by a small parvis, offers little hindrance to observe it. The lateral elevations, without elaborate decoration, contrast with the relative richness of the interior. The bell tower, rectangular in plan, is pierced with bays with a gimmick and crowned with a cornice of modillons, reminiscent of those of nearby churches such as Béthisy-Saint-Martin or Orrouy.

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