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Origin and history

The Collège Notre-Dame d'Écouis, located in the small village of Écouis in Normandy, was founded in the early 14th century by Enguerrand de Marigny, a native of Lyons-la-Forêt and Minister of Finance of Philippe le Bel. The latter, owner of a rich estate in Ecouis including a hospital and a college of canons, began its construction between 1310 and 1313. The building, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, replaced an old church dedicated to Saint Aubin and was erected with 4,000 stones from Vernon. He received royal, episcopal (archbishop of Rouen Bernard de Farges) and papal (Clément V) approvals before his consecration on September 9, 1313.

Enguerrand de Marigny, disgracified and executed in 1315, was buried in the choir of the college in 1326 after the return of his remains. The building, of cruciform plan, is distinguished by a choir longer than the nave (20.90 m against 15.65 m) and a Norman Gothic facade framed by two massive towers evoking Romanesque art. The vault, initially lambrished, was rebuilt into bricks in 1768. Over the centuries, the college welcomed kings like Louis XI and Louis XII, as well as Saint Vincent de Paul as canon. It became a temple of Reason during the Revolution, losing its arrow and part of its furniture.

Ranked a historic monument in 1913, the collegiate preserves remarkable elements such as 36 14th century stalls among the oldest in France, a 12th century pulpit, and statues of the 14th and 15th centuries (Saint Cécile, Saint Martin, Ecce Homo). Its digital organ, installed in 2008, replaces a historic organ deemed too expensive to restore. The Saint-Aubin chapel, added in 1528 in the flamboyant Gothic style, and the giant western window illustrate the architectural evolution of the building, mixing Romanesque and Gothic influences.

The furniture includes 17th-century altarpieces and woodwork, 18th-century baptismal fonts, and a rich statuary, including an Annunciation group and a Saint Margarita. The college, originally designed for nine canons plus three dignitaries, was abolished as an institution in 1790. His last canon, Antoine Marie François Hallé of Amfreville, was executed in 1794 for refusing an oath. After the Revolution, she became the parish church of Écouis, perpetuating her central role in local life.

The building, built of Vernon stone, is singularized by the absence of a central tower above the cross of the transept, unlike the other Norman collegiates of the time. Among the original stained glass windows, only a 14th century quadrilobed oculus representing Christ on the cross with the Virgin and Saint John remains. The college, now owned by the commune, remains an exceptional testimony of the patronage of Enguerrand de Marigny and Gothic art in Normandy.

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