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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Bais, although often associated with a total reconstruction in 1612 by Abbé Angot, reveals much older origins. Excavations in the 1980s revealed Romanesque paintings from the 11th–12th centuries in the choir, as well as a circular apse prior to the year thousand, confirming its existence from the early Middle Ages. These remains correspond to the priory mentioned in the cartular of the Abbey of Evron in 989, proving a continuity of religious occupation on the site, despite successive reconstructions.

In the 17th century, after the Wars of Religion, the church was enlarged by the addition of lower sides to the nave of origin, encroaching on an ancient cemetery where skeletons were discovered. The Romanesque choir, on the other hand, was preserved. The frescoes of the 12th, 13th and 16th centuries, classified in 1988, illustrate scenes of Christ's life and testify to the artistic richness of the building throughout the centuries. These elements contradict the hypothesis of total reconstruction in 1612.

During the Revolution in 1799, the church became a battlefield during a confrontation between Republicans and Chouans. The tombs were desecrated and the nearby presbytery burned, destroying much of the local archives. The only remaining written trace: the cartular of Évron. The excavations also revealed a skeleton dated around 1422, associated with a "white silver" with the effigy of Henry V or VI of England, placing this burial in the midst of the Hundred Years War.

Major transformations, such as the addition of the lower side or revolutionary damage, have not altered the original orientation of the church, preserved since the High Middle Ages. It was included in the 1989 inventory of historical monuments and today embodies a religious, artistic and memorial heritage, marked by the conflicts and reconstructions that shaped Mayenne.

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