Église Sainte-Maxence de Pont-Sainte-Maxence

About

Sainte-Maxence Church is a Catholic church located in Pont-Sainte-Maxence, France. It is a very ancient place of origin which owes its first church to the martyrdom of St Maxence, a young Scottish nobleman who fled to Beauvais at the end of the fifth century to escape a forced marriage with a pagan man. Not wanting to go against her Christian faith, she does not yield to her promise to pursue her, and he slices her throat as revenge.

However, Maxence rose up and took his head into his hands to go to a nearby place where a church was quickly built in his honour. Miracles occur instead of martyrdom, and a procession is held there every year, as well as a pilgrimage. Today, Saint Maxence is no longer on the calendar of saints because of the lack of material evidence of his existence, although his memory has always been kept alive at Pont-Sainte-Maxence.

The churches of Pont-Sainte-Maxence and Yvillers, a hamlet of Villeneuve-sur-Verberie, are the only churches in France named after Scottish martyrdom. It is one of the few churches in the region to have been rebuilt entirely after the...