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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assumption of Haravilliers, located in Val-d'Oise, is a Catholic building whose oldest parts date back to the middle of the 12th century, including the western facade and the southern collateral of the nave, of late Romanesque style. Its history is marked by successive enlargements and modifications, reflecting the architectural evolutions of the thirteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The church, of irregular plan, preserves traces of each period, with the exception of the seventeenth century where no major work is attested. Its tower tower, built at the end of the 15th century after the destruction of the central bell tower during the Hundred Years War, dominates the southern elevation.

In the 12th century, the church was probably a carpented nave-grange, without arcades or capitals, before being subdivided into three vessels to allow its Gothic vault. The current vaults, in third-point with arch keys decorated with foliage, date from the earliest of the 13th century, when the choir and its collateral were retouched. The 16th century saw the addition of a Renaissance chapel north of the choir, while in the 18th century, a classical portal replaced the western entrance. Ranked a historic monument in 1915, the church has a regional singularity: its collaterals, vaulted at the same height as the central ship.

The interior, though redesigned, reveals Gothic elements such as cylindrical pillars and vegetally decorated capitals, while the exterior preserves Romanesque traces, including the octagonal staircase turret with a lantern. The windows, of various styles (Roman, primitive Gothic, Renaissance), illustrate successive reconstruction campaigns. The furniture includes six classified items, including a 15th century Virgin of Mercy and an 18th century high altar, although some items were stolen or moved.

The Hundred Years' War left visible marks, with the destruction of the primitive central bell tower, replaced by the flamboyant, sober and devoid of exuberant decoration. The 19th century restorations completed the transformations, while preserving the stylistic heterogeneity of the building. Today, the church, surrounded by its cemetery, remains a complex architectural testimony, reflecting almost six centuries of local history.

The dissymmetric plan of the church, with a central vessel bordered by narrow collaterals, and the absence of a visible transept, resulted from successive changes. The foothills, the cornices and the bays, of various invoices, underline this development. Despite the damage caused by moisture and summary repairs, the building maintains a visual unit thanks to the consistency of the vaults and the uniform height of the vessels.

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