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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame de Louviers, located in the Eure in Normandy, is a Gothic building whose construction began in 1197 under the impulse of the Archbishop of Rouen, Gautier de Coutances, after a territorial exchange with Richard Coeur de Lion. The latter ceded Louviers against Les Andelys to erect Château-Gaillard, placing the city under the authority of the archbishops until the Revolution. The nave, originally planned with a seven-span central ship and sideways, was raised by 2.60 m in the 13th century, modifying the initial project and imposing structural adaptations such as the enhancement of the bow-buttons. The high windows, of various styles, reflect this evolution, with elements dating from the early 13th century to the west and later forms to the east.

The tower of the cross, completed in 1240, lost its wooden arrow during a fire lit by the English in 1346 during the Hundred Years War. The town, looted several times (1346, 1356, 1418, 1431), did not rise until after 1453, allowing work to resume as early as 1460. The nave was then expanded to five vessels, and side chapels were added, financed by noble families and corporations. The flamboyant Gothic-style southern porch, made from 1506 thanks to Guillaume Le Roux, symbolizes the renewed prosperity of Louviers. The lantern tower and bedside were redesigned after 1580, while the reconstructed arrow after 1379 was destroyed by a storm in 1705.

The church escaped the damage of the Revolution, but underwent major restorations between 1826 and 1853 (south facade, bedside) under the direction of Étienne Bourguignon, then from 1863 for the upper parts. Ranked a historic monument in 1846, it was damaged during the Second World War bombings, requiring further intervention. Its furniture includes 16th-century statues from the Chartreuse de Gaillon, a 15th-century gissant (Robert d'Acquigny), and paintings by Jean Nicolle. The 11 glass windows (1490–1530), works by Arnoult de Nijmegen and Les Leprince, classified in 1846, illustrate the golden age of the city, preserved despite the Wars of Religion thanks to the welcoming of the Normandy Parliament in 1562.

The stained glass windows, partially destroyed by a storm in 1841, were restored in the 19th century by Maurice Muraire (1902–1904) and supplemented by creations by Antoine Lusson, Duhamel-Marette, or the Lobin workshop. The Second World War led to the loss of 19th-century windows, replaced in the 1950s by Jean Barillet. Today, the church combines medieval elements (lantern tower, raised nave) and Renaissance additions (south porch), testifying to seven centuries of Norman architectural and religious history.

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