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(canton of Saint-André-de-l'Eure, Eure)

Deposition

    Having been in the possession of the Burgundian abbey of Bourgueil since the year one thousand, the former priory church of Saint Martin is now mainly modern.
Its value lies in a Romanesque bas-relief, which is probably the most remarkable in Normandy, and can be seen in a niche, to the left of the last bay of the nave, but which may have originally been part of a retable or altar. This work from the second half of the 12th century can probably be attributed to a Chartres workshop.
This is a deposition, c. 0.97 m across, representing the Virgin and Joseph of Aramathia holding up the Christ, while Nicodemus removes the nails from his feet. To the right five characters: Saint John holding a shroud, a group of three women (the three Marys?) and a bearded character (the centurion?). Above the cross where, strangely enough the halo is still attached, there are two angels under arcatures with turrets probably intended to represent Jerusalem.

Bibliography

- Musset L., Normandie romane, 2. Haute-Normandie, La Pierre-qui-Vire, 1974, p. 271-272 et pl. 139-140
- Les siècles romans en Basse-Normandie, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 92, Printemps 1985, p. 125-126