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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, located in Lesmont in the department of the Aube (Great East), is a religious building partially built in the 13th century (threshold) and completed in the 16th century. It initially depended on the abbey of Montier-en-Der, then was divided between the parish priest, the abbey of Basse-Fontaine and the lord of Lesmont, who divided the tithes. Its Latin cross architecture and its term (saint Pierre-ès-Liens) bear witness to local religious and architectural developments.

During the French campaign in 1814, the church suffered collateral damage during Napoleon's retreat after the Battle of La Rothière: cannon balls damaged the bell tower, already weakened. It, threatening to collapse, was dismantled in 1857 and rebuilt in 1865 after the consolidation of two pillars and vaults. The three bells, including Marie Anne (1772) still intact, were restored or recast. The bell tower, damaged several times by weather (1925, 1960, 1992), benefited from a parafouler after its last repair.

The building is home to major heritage features: an octagonal baptismal vats, 13th and 14th century funeral slabs (Jehan de Molins, Lady Gillebert), 16th century statues (Saint Peter, Virgin Mother), and stained glass windows including a Dormition of the Virgin (XVI century, restored in 1925). The pulpit, woodwork (1891) and altar (1880), by Jules Cathelin, illustrate the additions of the 19th and 20th centuries. The church, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1982, remains a symbol of the religious and historical heritage of the Dawn.

Successive restorations, particularly at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, preserved its integrity despite conflicts and climatic hazards. Today, it preserves traces of its medieval past, its links with local abbeys, and marks the upheavals of the 19th century, while always serving as a place of worship and collective memory.

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