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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre de Chennevières-sur-Marne came into being in the 13th century, when its construction was attributed to the 2nd third of this century. Prior to 1163, Sainte-Geneviève Abbey already owned property in the village. Between 1164 and 1196, the bishop of Paris Maurice de Sully reportedly gave the church to the regular canons of Saint-Victor, linked to the abbey of Mont-Étif. These religious were then transferred to Notre-Dame d'Hyverneaux Abbey (Essonne) under Louis IX. The building became a prioral church in the 14th century and was erected as a parish in 1260, with the abbot of the Winters appointing to the parish.

In the 18th century, the church experienced major deterioration: the Gothic vault of the nave collapsed after 1754, causing the upper parts to fall. In 1790 a fire damaged the bell tower. The repairs, which had been reported as urgent by 1738, had not been carried out. The nave, initially equipped with a seven-metre-high skeleton triforium, lost part of its original structure.

The restoration of the 19th century marked a turning point with the reconstruction of the western facade by architect Demanet, as illustrated by a drawing of 1852. The current stained glass windows, typical of the late 19th century, and the plaster cradle vault replacing medieval warheads date from this period. An archaeological diagnosis (2012-2013) revealed shallow foundations and burials from the 14th to the 19th century around the bedside. Partly classified in 1920, the church today retains its Champagne plan: a nave without prolonged transept from a choir in the hemicycle with three apses.

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