(Extracts and adaptations of the Historical Notes on the Bessin, the Monumental Statistics of Calvados by Arcisse de Caumont, the Calvados Heritage, and the documents "Le Bessin, churches in the heart" of the ADTLB)
The original construction of the church dates from the 12th century, but most of the building and the bell tower are from the 14th century.
There used to be aisles and the building has been remodeled several times and at several times, especially in the 19th century. As a result, the church does not have well-defined characters in many of its parts.
The bell tower was classified as a historical monument in 1913 and the fighting of June 6, 1944 destroyed the bell tower, the vault of the nave and the presbytery, sparing the choir. The church was rebuilt in the early 1950s, identical to the bell tower.
The tithe barn of the old presbytery, near the church, has also been restored more recently and it has regained an appearance more in line with its original architecture.
See also
The postcards and photos of the church of Saint André
The notice written by Abbé Le Paulmier and continued by Abbé Robert
A note on the role of the parish in schools and care for the sick under the Ancien Régime
The bell tower and the portal of the old presbytery (before war)
(details) The church and the old presbytery,
Before the war. The top of the bell tower was whitewashed to serve as a bitter for ships
The church in 1945
(details) The tithe barn of the old presbytery, near the church, has been recently restored and it has regained an appearance more in line with its original architecture
The first church was built in the 12th century by the inhabitants of Vierville and its 3 bosses: the seigneur de Vierville, the seigneur d'Aigneaux and the seigneur de Ver en Veret. The priest received 1/3 of the tithes.
The "patrons" were holders of the "benefits" and they had the right to present the future parish priest to the bishop who then confirmed it. These patronages changed holders later.
As early as 1165, Raoul d'Aigneux ceded his rights to the Abbey of Cerisy (see opposite)
Later, the abbey of Cerisy and the family of Ver had to cede their rights to the sieurs of Vierville, since the "Livre Pelut", written around 1355, indicates Guillaume de Vierville, as the only patron of the church.
In 1675, the map of the diocese of Bayeux confirmed that the patron of the parish (with the right of presentation of the parish priest) is the lord of the place.
We see in the archives of the Prefecture of Calvados a narrow strip of parchment attesting that Raoul de Vierville received, in 1407, the clerical tonsure from the hands of the Bishop of Bayeux, Nicolas du Bosq, adviser to the king and president of the Chamber of Auditors of Normandy.
Extract from Jean Petite dessinée's card
In 1675
Extract from the legend of the card: the "S" indicating that the boss is a secular lord
On the contrary, the stylized "A" next to the church of St. Lawrence means that its boss is the Abbey of Cerisy.
The church and cemetery are enclosed by a small stone wall. To the north, an old porch provides access to a flowery parking lot with a plaque commemorating the deaths of Vierville during the two world wars.
In the cemetery, an inscription on a tombstone recalls:
" HERE RESTS THE BODY OF MESSIRE GILLES ARMAND DE MARGUERYE CHEVALIER LORD AND PATRON OF THIS PARISH LORD OF MONMINOT, HOUTEVILLE, AND OTHER PLACES DIED ON DECEMBER 31, 1738 AGED 65 PRAY TO GOD FOR THE REST OF HIS SOUL."
This lord of Vierville was the son of the builders of the castle, Gilles de Marguerye and Marie-Thérèse Canivet-Maillard, heiress of the Vierville estate.
Visit and description of the church
(details)The vaulted new and choir, before the war, and before the cradle reconstruction of the vault of the nave.
Closed wooden benches (formerly rented) disappeared with the collapse of the vault in 1944.
Map of the church
A marquee with a triple head (3)
(details)The columns (8)
The choir today (6)
The fourth pillar of the south wall features two griffons or double-bodyed fawn vultures, lion legs and plumage. (3)
Visite of the inside of the church
In 1847-48, Mr. Delaunay, architect of Bayeux, restored the bell tower of Vierville and opened two bays in a twin lancet (or double) surmounted by a clover, one in the choir, the other above the west door (1) (entrance door). ‐ The latter is lined with two glass roofs: Saint Pierre and Saint André.
- German and American artillery destroyed the church and the presbytery during the Allied Landing operations. The felled bell tower collapsed on the nave. Reconstructed, the nave is vaulted in a cradle (2) and its arches fall back on lamp butts (truncated piece of column). The nave appears as a whole from the 14th century. This nave was once vaulted (until its destruction on June 6, 1944) like the choir. It was rebuilt in a cradle and with bows fall back on lamp butts (piece of truncated column).
- The building is quite important and once had aisles with views of the ogival arcades (broken arches) sitting on Pillars Short and stocky (14th century monocylindrical column) that are embedded in the southern wall and have a face of their capital inside and a face on the outer wall.
‐ You will observe the capiteaux of the pillars that constitute the place of election of the sculpture. The plant decoration of quintefeuille and oak leaf (near the choir) is the most provided.
‐ The fourth pillar of the south wall (3) figures two griffons or double-body vultures, lion legs and plumage.
‐ In the upper part of the south wall, six curved skylights (a half circle enclosed their upper part) are lined with colored stained glass windows.
‐ The triumphal arch (4) or the arch separating the choir from the nave was restored in the 19th and 20thth centuries.
‐ The hanger is supported by two columns engaged on each side whose capitals support an entablement.
‐ To the south of the choir, a vaulted chapel of protruding edges (5) is adorned with an altar decorated with a high relief classified as a historical object in 1908. See box below.
To the right of the high altar, two full-hanger backsplashes arrange liturgical fountains (7)
The arcade (or the triumphal arch) separating the choir from the nave (4)
A marquee (14) of the nave
Opposite, the high relief of the side chapel of the church of Vierville-sur-mer.
This high-relief has been classified as "Christ's cross" as a historical object since November 30, 1908.
But the word of the church, the links of the martyr rather make us believe that it is the martyrdom of Saint Andrew.
On the current database of the Ministry of Culture, he is named "Martyr of Saint André". It dates from the 13th century.
Comments from the Ministry of Culture database:
" The saint, bearded, simply dressed in a loincloth is tied on the Latin cross; one character is lying under the cross; two others frame the crowned character, holding a sword, who could be the proconsul Egeas".
The high relief bears the following inscription signed by Abbé P.F. Bunouf, parish priest of Vierville between 1866 and 1900:
"13th century bas-relief, found during the reconstruction of a pillar of the tower in 1878, repaired at the expense of Monsieur de Marguerit de Rochefort. The church also owes him his restoration to which he has largely contributed"
(In 1878, the family of Marguerit de Rochefort owned the mansion of Than, a neighbor of the church)
-. The choir (6) has a vault in basket handle, its protruding edges rest on columns with Gothic halls (13 and 14th centuries) decorated with plant motifs: clover and acanth leaf, oak and ivy, vine leaf and grapes (you will find some on the keystones).
- The vault of the choir was restored in the 18th century to probably avoid pushing on the side walls whose fall was feared. This is not the only example of stone vaults destroyed at that time as a precaution. The twinned or double windows evoking the flamboyant Gothic style (imitating flames, from the 15th century) are from the 19th century.
‐ To the right of the high altar, two full-hanger backsplashes (7) set up liturgical fountains or sinks. Each pillar carries capitals decorated with very simple palmettes, others are embellished with a net of pearls called "decor of besants" featuring octopus, wheat or jewelry.
- We also built in the 18th century a sacristy applied to the bedside of the choir, it unfortunately masks the window of the bedside
- To the northeast. the baptismal chapel (8) constits the seat of the bell tower. The large pillars supporting the tower are confined by a bundle of columns with an acanth leaf capital.
‐ In the north wall of the nave (9), skylights pierce the top of the wall. Below, lancet arcades rest on flat columns framed with columns that are extended by a torus framing the skylight and the Gothic arcade.
Visit from the outside of the church
The west facade has a small porch-hall (10) that covers the open entrance in lancet (broken bow) with two archivos of gorges and sausages.
- The church and the cemetery are enclosed by a small stone wall. To the north, a porch provides access to a flowery parking lot and exhibiting a commemorative plaque (11) of the two world wars.
‐ To the north, the outside of the church clearly shows the suppression of the bas-côtés clogged by long apparatused stones that contrast with the masonry apparatus at the top of the wall. The old church once covered a more considerable area than today, perhaps meeting the needs of a larger population.
‐ The bell tower (12) has a base enclosed by large buttresses and pierced by a door whose tympanum is flowered with a quadrilobed rosette.
‐ The floor has on its four faces, one or two deepened geminated openings by four voussures supported by columns.
‐ The stone arrow (eight sides)(13) is framed by four little girls or bell towers at the corners between which high skylights with an elegant pediment (in the shape of a canopy) covered with an arrow have been opened.
‐ Note the gargoyle cornice, these ducts adapted to a gutter that pours rainwater away from the walls, sometimes funny sculpted; thus, we observe crocodile and griffin-shaped gargoyles.
- To the south of the nave, you can see the decor of the capitals of the arcades (14) which opened on aisles.
symbolic supports of moral precepts
It is not yesterday that an animal in sculpture or language can be a sign of human forms or functions of a masked sense.
To help us understand the genesis of a symbol, we have bestiaries (lapidary or volucrary), a medieval work used as a register for sculptors. They contain descriptions of quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fish and stones, accompanied by explanations whose purpose was to remind the faithful of moral and religious truths. They describe the animal world only to constitute it in a symbolic network meaning to man his destiny and the greatness of God. The first example of a bestiary appears at the beginning of the 12th century in Philippe de Thaon, it depicts a Manichean world, the permanent fight between the demon and Jesus, the vices and virtues whose nomenclature was illustrated by the poet Prudence (5th century), a reference in the field of sculptural inspiration. This literary form is still illustrated at the beginning of the 13th century by Guillaume Leclerc of Normandy.
The lion: symbol of Christianity. It is said of him that he is the only animal to be born with his eyes open, (perceptive and clear vision of the world), a symbol of a frank conscience, realism and clarity about the world.
Snake, snail, slug, any crawling animal symbolizes death, the irreversible fate of mortals. They remind man of the humility (which he must practice) with which he must provide in the face of the eternity of God.
Ane: ignorant or stubborn man, symbol of the evil, of the pagan.
Twins: symbolizes the double head of Janus. The sagacity of a character endowed with a permanent look at the past and the future.
The griffin: fabulous animal represented with the body of the lion, the head and wings of the eagle, the ears of the horse and fish fins.