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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Rémy de Ferrières-en-Brie, located in Seine-et-Marne, has its origins between the 10th and 11th centuries, when the abbey of Saint-Maur owned property in this territory. The name Ferrières appeared at the end of the 9th century, but it was in the 2nd quarter of the 13th century that the present building was mainly built, under the authority of the bishop of Paris, who gave its snack to the pre-demonstrated abbey of Humières around 1300. The church, of simple plan without transept, has a nave with five spans and a polygonal choir flanked by collaterals.

In 1570, after a criminal arson attributed to the Protestants – which damaged only the structure – the king allowed the inhabitants to collect 21 oaks from the forest of Crécy for its repair. The building, initially without a bell tower, received one in the 18th century, demolished between 1858 and 1862 because of its precarious state. A complete restoration was then undertaken, including the restoration of the western rose in 1889. The 13th century stained glass windows, mentioned by Abbé Lebeuf, have disappeared; those of the choir, made in 1878 by the workshop Champigneulle, have been protected since 1982.

Ranked a historical monument in 1847, the church illustrates an architecture influenced by Champagne, with apsidioles implanted at 45° and capitals carved of foliage. Its southern gate, decorated with eight columns, and its d'ogives vaults with neat profiles (arcs-doubles with throats, formationets in half-profile) testify to a preserved medieval know-how. Archaeological sources, such as the works of Amédée Aufauvre (1858) or Abbé Lebeuf, underline its central role in local religious life since the Middle Ages.

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