Église Saint-Clair d'Hérouville

About

Saint-Clair Church is a parish Catholic church located in Hérouville-en-Vexin, France. At first glance, it seems to be a homogeneous building of the 15th century. Indeed, the lateral elevations, the bedside wall, the bell tower and the roof frame were built for a single campaign from about 1443 to 1468.

But inside, the choir is still almost Romanesque, and the nave largely primitive Gothic. There are some interesting capitals of the 15th century that replace missing pieces, but also the testimonies of many compromises that result from economic constraints, and which often seem awkward. The cohabitation of elements from different periods in the same part of the building is characteristic of many rural churches in the Vexin, and Saint-Clair Church is a good example.

It shows above all how the reconstruction of a church was carried out in the middle of the 15th century, before the final end of the Hundred Years War and during the difficult years that followed, when the conditions for reconstruction are not yet met in most villages. Outside, the Western gate served...