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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Magneux, located in the Marne department in the Grand Est region, is a 15th and 17th century religious building. It combines two distinct architectural styles: a rustic nave, with narrow windows and a wooden ceiling, and a flamboyant, wide and bright octagonal bedside. This contrast marks the evolution of techniques and tastes between the two construction periods. The pillars, decorated with naïve capitals representing foliage, vines or characters, support crowns with head of death, adding a symbolic dimension to the building.

Ranked a historic monument in 1920, the church suffered destruction during the First World War, including the loss of its stained glass windows, of which a remarkable window remains in the southern transept. The bell tower-wall, atypical in the area, houses the bells, while six tombstones, scattered in the transept, recall the presence of the lords of Magneux and Tanières until the First Empire. A 15th century stone altar, classified in 1905, depicts ten scenes of the Passion of Christ, but bears traces of revolutionary degradations and successive conflicts.

The furniture and structure of the church reflect its turbulent history, between artistic heritage and the marks of political and military upheavals. The capitals, though naive, and the mortuary shields evoke a medieval symbol, while the destructions recall the violence suffered by the village. Today, the building remains a testimony to the architectural traditions of Champagne, mixing hardiness and flamboyant Gothic refinement.

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