Broglie (canton of Broglie, Eure) Church of Saint-Martin de Chambrais

    Besides the effect created by the opposition of colours in the materials (“grison”, a local tufa and white limestone), which is rare in Normandy, this rural church also has the unusual feature of having an ambulatory.
Many re-workings up to the end of the 16th century have drowned out the Romanesque remains in the gothic but, although the crossed arches in white limestone which adorn the west facade of the nave probably date from the end of the 12th century, it has retained its original layout: the door and arcatures vaulted and inter-crossed, adorned with palmettes and plant motif vaulting. The side aisles, apse and its ambulatory also date from the second half or end of the 11th century. The first floor, pierced by large arched surbased openings is from a later period (middle or second half of the 12th century.).

Bibliography

- Collectif, Dictionnaire des églises de France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Suisse, IVB, Normandie, Paris, 1968, p. 25-26 (notice de M. Baudot)
- Musset L., Normandie romane, 2. Haute-Normandie, La Pierre-qui-Vire, 1974, p. 25
- Durand J., L’église Saint-Martin de Broglie, Congrès archéologique de France, 138e session, 1980 [1983], p. 177-190
- Baylé M., Les origines et les premiers développements de la sculpture romane en Normandie, Art de Basse-Normandie, n°100 bis, 1992, p. 35