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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin de La Croupte, located in the hamlet of the same name on the town of Livarot-Pays-d'Auge (Calvados), finds its origins in a tradition perhaps dating back to the High Middle Ages. His term dedicated to Saint Martin, as well as the adjacent guenilla fountain — known to cure skin ailments and before the Christianization of the country of Auge — suggest a very old foundation. The fountain, still associated with the building, is considered to be contemporary of the early church, although it was rebuilt in the 15th and 18th centuries.

The current building combines Gothic and classical elements. The nave, dated the 15th century, preserves a vault decorated with two beams with coats of arms of the lords of Fervaques. In 1786, the choir was remodeled in the 18th century and received a plaster decoration and naïve paintings later added. A metal beam, installed in the 19th century, now separates the nave from the choir to improve its visibility. The sacristy, built at the hinge of the 18th and 19th centuries, completes the whole, while a 19th-century badigeon will temporarily hide the paintings of the 18th century, restored in 1980.

Structural disorders, such as the lizards reported by Arcisse de Caumont or the collapse of the south wall (reinforced in 1884 by brick pilasters), testify to conservation challenges. The bell tower, redone in 1990 after bad weather, and the roof restored in 1995 benefit from the support of the Save of French Art. Ranked a historical monument in 1986, the church houses a retable of the reign of Louis XIV, an ancient statue of Saint Martin, and a 17th century polychrome relief illustrating the Charity of Saint Martin.

Disused as a parish church in 1831 after joining Auquainville, it then served as a funeral chapel for the Custine family. Its modest architecture — unique nave, bell tower on western gables, and bays reprofiled in the 18th century — contrasts with its spiritual and cultural role. Popular traditions, such as guenilla offerings at the fountain, perpetuate a pre-Christian heritage, while paintings and liturgical furniture reflect the artistic and devotional evolutions of the 17th to 19th centuries.

Historical sources, including the writings of Arcisse de Caumont (1867), describe a "bad building furrowed by lizards," but also highlight the heritage value of its interior elements. About 30 metres long, built in limestone and flint, the church illustrates the adaptation of religious buildings to local needs, between cult, family memory (soils of Custine) and popular practices. Its registration as a historical monument in 1986, followed by restoration campaigns, attests to its recognition as a witness to the historical and cultural strata of the country of Auge.

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