Torigni-sur-Vire (canton of Torigni-sur-Vire, Manche) Church of Notre-Dame-du-Grand-Vivier

    The only Romanesque feature retained by church of Notre-Dame du Grand-Vivier is its façade, which is disfigured by the presence of a tower dating from the18th century built in the middle of it. The rest of the building is the result of a reconstruction in the second half of the 19^th century. On the two sides of the tower, the façade shows two levels of arch decorated with chevrons and bird beaks. Three Romanesque reliefs are retained and re-used; a Victorious Knight (the Emperor Constantine triumphing over paganism) located under a bay to the right of the façade, a Christ in a mandorla and a Virgin and Child inserted into the south wall of the nave. The Romanesque vestiges of the church date from the first half of the 12^th century.

Bibliography

- Art roman dans la région de Saint-Lô, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 98, p. 44 à 46
- Fournée, Jean. - " A propos d’une sculpture romane de l’église Notre-Dame de Torigni-sur-Vire ayant pour thème : le Cavalier Victorieux ", dans Cahiers Léopold Delisle, XXIV, 1975, fasc. 2, p. 23 à 35
- Notre-Dame en Basse-Normandie, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 99, p. 78
- Les siècles romans en Basse-Normandie, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 92, Printemps 1985, p. 125