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Origin and history

Église Saint-Éliphe de Rampillon, located in the Seine-et-Marne department in Île-de-France, is a Gothic building built in the 13th century. It has been listed as a historic monument since 1846 and is characterized by its simple and pure architecture, as well as its richly worked western portal dating back to the mid-thirteenth century. This portal, in white limestone, represents the Last Judgment, with Christ surrounded by angels, and scenes like the resurrection of the dead. A notable feature is the absence of Damnes in this representation, unlike the usual iconographic traditions.

The church was attached to the commandory of Ramplion of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of which it was the parish church. A round tower, known as the "Tour des Templiers", is adjacent to the northwest corner of the building, a vestige of a fortified enclosure. The command office was set on fire in 1432 by the English during the Hundred Years War. The patron saint of the church, Eliaphus, is a little-known Lorrain saint in Brie, depicted on the haze of the gate as a bearded young man in deacon's robe.

The interior of the church presents a rectangular plan divided into three vessels, with a five-sided apse to the east. The elevation combines classic elements (large arcades, triforium, high windows) and sober decoration, with traces of polychromy. The smaller southern gate represents the Coronation of the Virgin. The construction took place in three countrysides, from east to west, between the end of the 12th century (traved under the bell tower) and the first half of the 13th century. The church is contemporary to that of Saint-Martin de Nangis, with which it shares stylistic similarities.

The furniture and appendices are not detailed in the sources, but the building maintains a carved agricultural calendar, rare in the churches of the region. The first records of a church in Ramplion date back to the 12th century, originally dedicated to St Savinian before being placed under the name of St.Eliphus. After the Revolution, the church lost its link with the order of Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem but remained a place of parish worship.

Archaeological and historical sources, such as the works of Amédée Aufauvre and Charles Fichot (1858) or the studies of Judith Förstel (2015), highlight the heritage importance of the building. Its portal, tympanum and archvolts make it a remarkable example of Gothic art in Brie. The association of the friends of the church today contributes to its preservation and enhancement.

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