Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Denis church of Chaussoy-Epagny, mentioned since 1105, was rebuilt outside the village at the end of the 12th century. The choir, dating from the 13th century, features a flat bedside, third-point windows and a cornice decorated with carved modillons (masques, rosaces). This medieval vestige illustrates the picardic religious architecture of the period, marked by the use of local limestone extracted from the quarries of Epagny and La Faloise.

In the 16th century, between 1540 and 1560, the church was partially remodeled in the flamboyant Gothic style: the nave was enlarged by three spans, and a bell tower was erected as a western facade, bearing the date of 1559. This work reflects the frequent modernization campaigns in the cultural buildings of northern France during the Renaissance. The church also houses a polychrome altarpiece of 1546, offered by Valeran Lecaron, lieutenant of the seigneury of Epagny, now classified as a historical monument.

The building, isolated in the countryside equidistant from the hamlets of the parish, dominates the Noye Valley, a remarkable natural site. Its surrounding cemetery, partially preserved, houses ancient funeral monuments. Classified as a historical monument in 1993 (decree of 12 August), the church embodies the rural religious heritage of Hauts-de-France, mixing medieval heritage and Renaissance influences.

The 1993 protection covers both the church and the old part of the adjoining cemetery (parks Z 81 and 133). A communal property, the site remains an architectural testimony of stylistic evolutions between the Middle Ages and the modern era, while illustrating the parish organization typical of the pre-industrial Picardie.

External links