Église Saint-Symphorien de Nesles-la-Vallée

About

Saint-Symphorian Church is a parish Catholic church located in Nesles-la-Vallée, France. It is one of the rural churches of the second half of the 12th century strongly influenced by the first Gothic cathedrals. Of rare homogeneity, it was built during a single and short construction campaign between about 1185 and 1200.

Only the Romanesque bell tower is older; built around 1130 / 1140 while the previous church still existed, it was noticed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc for its harmonious proportions and its adroit ornamentation. The nave has a three-storey elevation inside with a real triforium, and the sexpartite vaults allow abundant lighting. Normally vaults on crosses of simple warheads (quadripartites) are sufficient in small churches, and the application of this type of more complex vaulting in the church of Saint-Symphorian has raised questions.

But the documents that would have made it possible to trace the history of the parish and the church are lost, and all we can say is that it bears witness to the prosperity of the village in the middle of the 12th century and to the faith of its inhabitants, who have themselves...