Church of Villars-Saint-Marcellin

With a few kilometer in the south-east of Bourbonne-the-Baths, in Haute-Marne, draws up the church of Villars-Saint-Marcellin, set up under the patronage of Saint Marcellin. The church dates from XIe and 12th centuries. The tympanum of entry, the chorus and the Crypte were classified Historic building at the request of Prosper Mérimée. The chorus unit and bell-tower are of Romance style .

Chorus

The chorus consists of a 8,60 m length rectangle for 4 m of width. The height under vault is of 4,70 Mr. It is prolonged by a Abside in Cul of furnace. The Abside is painted in blue sky decorated with stars black and gold. The Abside is lit by two narrow side openings and a coarse rosette, barred of a Maltese cross. It is the only stained glass of the church.

The vault of the chorus spherical, is reinforced by two projecting stone veins, of which some out of red sandstone. It is pressed on warheads in third not. This intersecting ribs, premise of the Gothic architecture, would be one of oldest Is France.

The tympanum

It is acted as the species of a lintel builds of only one engraved stone in a rustic way, and four stones including two engraved. The objects represented are still badly explained and remains mysterious.

One can see there a central pattée cross, a goat, a dog, a fantastic animal with two large round eyes, a fish, a checkerwork, a chain and garlands. Only the capitals of the side pillars are decorated.

It seems acquired which the stone would be much older than the church, perhaps of origin Celtic, and employed again at the time Romance.

The crypt

The Crypte consists of only one part, of the same dimensions than the chorus and of the Abside which is above. The ceiling is supported by twelve hexagonal pillars (6) or cylindrical (6) alternate. It seems that twelve are not necessary: the load carried by the two columns located ahead could indeed have been deferred on the close wall. Of no will say that they account for the twelve Apôtres. The ceiling is made up small Voûte S which goes from one pillar to the other.

The furnace bridge hones some, is 16th century. It supports a Virgin of Pity out of stone, also classified. Let us note however that the artist knows little about the crowned texts: it represents the legs of the Christ very deformed. If the two robbers crucifiés with dimensions of the Christ had the broken legs, according to the habit, to shorten their sufferings, it is of a blow of lance in the middle a Roman soldier gave death to the Christ, thus respecting, without the knowledge, the Ecriture according to which: “ None of its bones will be broken… ”

The Crypte is lit by windows in slit. At the bottom, a double Sarcophage would have contained the skin of Saint Marcellin. The legend wants that the headaches and, in particular, the pains dental, disappear miraculeusement if the visitor introduced his head into the opening the top.

The nave

The Nef was rebuilt at the 18th century following a fire due to the Swedes. In 1636, during the War Thirty Year old, it is covered with a skirting supported by a strong frame in oak.

The bell-tower

The bell-tower is surmounted by a rather curious arrow. A turret of 22 steps out of snail led to the entry of the bell-tower.

Galleries Photographs

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