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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativity Church in Sully is a Catholic church in the commune of Sully, Calvados, Normandy. It is distinguished by its architecture blending Romanesque and Gothic elements, with a nave of three spans, carved modillons, and a door-to-door tower dated the 15th century. A remarkable if, located south of the west gate, adds to its historic character.

The construction of the church began in the 12th century, but most of the elements visible today, like the western gate, date from the 14th, while the door-to-door tower is attributed to the 15th century by the historian Arcisse de Caumont. The latter also highlights the presence of a statue of the 15th century Virgin with the Child, now beheaded and transformed into a blessing. The choir, vaulted with two spans, preserves a Romanesque door decorated with human heads.

The building has been partially listed as historical monuments since 17 May 1933, with a specific protection covering the bell tower and its arcade. Arcisse de Caumont, in his work Statistique monumentale du Calvados (1857), describes with praise the bell tower, although it no longer wears a bell today. The church remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the region, linked to local religious and community life since the Middle Ages.

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