Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Our Lady of Sepmes finds its origins in a charter of Goscellin of Sainte-Maure, dated the second half of the 11th century, assigning its rights to the building to the Abbey of Noyers. Although built mainly in the 12th and 13th centuries, it preserves remains of its primitive state, such as a small apparatus and a curved door on the north wall, suggesting continued occupation of the site since the 11th century. The nave, covered with veined vaults, and the three-vealed choir illustrate a transitional architecture between Romanesque and Gothic, with capitals carved with vegetal motifs and caps decorated with human busts, probably dated to the late 12th or early 13th century.

In the 16th century, a chapel was added in 1533 to the junction of the north wall and the prominent choir. The structures of the nave and choir undergo renovations in the 17th and 19th centuries, as evidenced by the memories of 1860. Between 1858 and 1862, architect Gustave Guérin carried out a general restoration (roofs, masonries, elevation of walls), followed in the mid 1860s by a second campaign led by Raimbault. The west gate was re-established in 1885, and a sacristy was built between the southern pillars of the nave. Finally, the interior was completely refected between 1882 and 1927, consolidating its present appearance.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2010, the church thus combines medieval elements (Romanesque clocher, ogival vaults) with modern additions, reflecting almost a millennium of architectural and religious history. His plan, his sculptures and his successive restoration campaigns bear witness to the evolution of techniques and tastes, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

External links