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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Vaast de Nointel, located in the Oise department in the Hauts-de-France region, is a Catholic parish building built mainly between the 13th and 16th centuries. It has a rare architectural diversity, combining elements of Romanesque, Gothic (raying and flamboyant) and classical, without Renaissance influence. The choir, stylistically homogeneous, is a remarkable testimony of late radiant Gothic, with an exceptional five lancet bedside bay. The nave, not originally vaulted, was endowed with false Gothic vaults in 1883 under the direction of architect Philippe Bruslé.

The western facade, dating from the years 1120-1130, retains a richly decorated Romanesque portal, while the bell tower, also a Romanesque, was redecorated in the flamboyant period without reconstruction. The transept's cruises, reworked after the Hundred Years' War, present windows with complex flamboyant networks. The church was listed as historical monuments by order of 7 November 1927. Its furniture includes classified baptismal fonts from the 15th to 16th century and an embroidered 16th century chasuble.

The history of the parish of Nointel dates back at least to the eleventh century, with Saint Vaast d'Arras as patron saint. Under the Ancien Régime, she was dependent on the diocese of Beauvais and was under the patronage of the abbey of Saint-Germer-de-Fly. Cardinal Jean Cholet (died 1293), originally from Nointel, was probably baptized there. After the Concordat of 1801, the parish underwent several reorganizations, notably in 1996 with the creation of a large parish comprising nine communes, before being integrated in 2018 in the parish of the Heart of Christ of Clermont.

The building has undergone various changes, including the resumption of the pillars of the bell tower between the 17th and 18th centuries, and the laying of dummy brick and plaster vaults in the nave and lower side at the end of the 19th century. Despite these modifications, the church retains remarkable Romanesque elements, such as the archaic warhead vault of the transept cross and the western gate. The capitals of the large southern arcades of the nave, carved with plant and animal motifs, probably date back to the early 13th century.

The choir's flat bedside, pierced by a complex rempling bay, is a masterpiece of late radiant style. The collaterals, narrower than the nave, have flamboyant arch vaults and windows. Outside, the lateral elevations of the lower side, rebuilt in the classical period, contrast with the Romanesque parts such as the facade and the bell tower. The latter, wearing an axe roof, saw its Romanesque berries turned into flamboyant openings in the 16th century.

Among the furniture, the octagonal baptismal fonts, classified in 1908, date from the late 14th or early 16th century. Their tank, carved with flamboyant characters and motifs, is surmounted by a delicate networked border. A 16th-century chasuble, also classified, includes embroideries representing St. Lawrence and Christ on the Cross. These elements, along with the statue of Saint Vaast and the Renaissance benigner, testify to the heritage richness of the building.

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