About
Located on the banks of the Seine in one of Troyes' outlying villages, the church of the Assumption of Pont-Sainte-Marie features a blend of flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance architecture.
Construction took place between 1515 and 1553. The date 1515 refers to the nave, which was completed around 1550. The tower dates from 1550. The flamboyant-style south door was completed around 1547. The church has four fine western portals, which are not homogeneous: the central one is flamboyant, while the side portals are in the classical Renaissance style (the one on the right is dated 1553). The carpentry on the gables of the western façade was completed around 1603. The church, of the hall-church type, has an elongated plan with a vast three-vessel, five-bay nave, a three-vessel, two-bay choir ending in a straight bay, and a three-sided apse. The ribbed vaults are supported by large cylindrical pillars with penetrating ribs. The roofs of the side chapels are perpendicular to the axis of the building. The bell tower rises from the north-west corner of the nave. In the choir, of the five original stained glass windows, probably dedicated to the Virgin Mary, only two sets of panels remain, grouped together in the bays of the right apse bay (bays 3 and 4). The stained glass windows and fragments found in the nave date mainly from 1525-1530, with the exception of the second south bay, which dates from around 1590. The bay in the first south bay of the nave was executed around 1590-1593 and restored in 1896-1897 by Félix Gaudin. Gaudin was responsible for the Sacred Heart and Eucharist stained glass windows in the side bays of the apse (bays 1 and 2), while the central bay features a stained glass window depicting the Life of the Virgin, created by Erdmann in 1874. Erdmann also created the panels for the Infancy and Passion of Christ in the aisles, above the altars of the Virgin and St. Joseph. The stained-glass windows, removed in 1940, were restored and re-installed in 1955 by Labouret. The first-quarter 16th-century stained glass windows in the apse are mainly dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The northern one (bay 3), donated by Pierre Mauroy and Marie Le Gras, shows the Dormition of the Virgin, the donors presented by Saint Maur and the apparition of Christ to Mary Magdalene. The south window (bay 4) depicts scenes from the Life of the Virgin. Among the nave's early stained-glass windows is a Tree of Jesse (bay 16), accompanied by the figures of Saint John the Evangelist and the prophet Isaiah, donated by Nicolas Cotton and his wife. The work is similar to those in Noës-près-Troyes and Rigny-le-Ferron. Finally, the panel dating from 1590-1593, donated by the churchwardens, Nicolas Le Dormant, Simon Regnault Le Jeune and Jehan Mareschault, presents an allegorical representation of the struggles between Protestants and Catholics, in grisaille and silver yellow, based on the work of C. van den Broeck, engraved by Hans Collaert. These struggles are symbolized by the struggle of vices and virtues, of the Christian against death and for faith, according to St. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. The glass is falsely attributed to Linard Gontier. The church of Pont-Sainte-Marie has been listed as a historic monument since February 16, 1895, and its stained glass windows were listed as a building on May 29, 1926.
No opening hours, key to be collected from the Mairie - 03 25 81 20 54 - during opening hours:
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday 8:30am to 12pm and 1:30pm to 6pm
Friday: 8.30am to 12pm and 1.30pm to 5pm
Saturday: Elected representatives open from 9am to 12pm
Events: guided tours and concert during the European Heritage Days
Information 03 25 81 20 54
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