Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The marine cemetery of Varengeville-sur-Mer is inseparable from Saint-Valery Church, a religious building built in the 12th and 13th centuries for its northern part, while the entrance porch dates back to the 16th century. Located on the edge of an 80-metre-high cliff on the Côte d'Alabâtre, the site is exposed to constant erosion, with an annual retreat of 40 cm. The tombs, including that of painter Georges Braque, surround the church, except on the side of the apse. The ensemble, classified as a historic monument in 1924, attracts 60,000 visitors a year and was used as a setting for the film Le Retour du grand blond (1974).

The church, composed of two distinct naves (one in flint, the other in sandstone Gothic), houses remarkable architectural elements such as a sculpted polygonal pillar evoking heads of characters, scallop shells and coats of arms. Inside, modern stained glass windows signed by Jean Renut, Raoul Ubac and Georges Braque are surrounded by statues, including that of Saint Valery de Leuconay, as well as a gissant dedicated to the latter. The building, dedicated to Valery de Leuconay – venerated by William the Conqueror – is now threatened with extinction due to erosion, despite the comfort work carried out in 2000 and 2018.

The preservation of the site involves actors such as the Association of Friends of the Church of Varengeville-sur-Mer and the Heritage Foundation. Audacious projects, such as the dismantling and reconstruction of the church, are envisaged, but their cost (several million euros) remains a major obstacle. The marine cemetery, integrated with the classified complex, also houses tombs of local personalities and sailors, reflecting the maritime history of the region, marked by the journeys of the Dieppois like Jean Ango to distant lands in the sixteenth century.

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