L’église Saint-Etienne, Beauvais, France.
L’église Saint-Etienne is a church in Beauvais which, sadly, is in quite a poor state – huge chunks of stonework have fallen from the roof, gargoyles are sometimes faceless and often headless, and the exterior walls are crumbling away. The majority of funds go to its bigger brother, the nearby cathedral, but this is a gorgeous church well worth a visit if you’re in Beauvais.
It’s not very big – at least by French church standards. It’s not very famous. And even the church’s own website would rather tell you about the nearby cathedral than this quiet building. The site has been one of religious significance for over two thousand years. Before the Romans, it’s suspected that a menhir was here, and after a Gallo-Roman spa occupied the site, St. Firmin came and turned it into a church. In 1180 Beauvais was devastated by fire, and a large portion of the church was destroyed.
Although rebuilt, very little documentation about when and how exists to the present day, especially of whatever work may have taken place between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Building work underwent something of a frenzied renewal in the sixteenth century, but a hurricane in 1702 undid a lot of the work, then violent upheaval and vandalism during the revolution did yet more damage to this now very beleaguered building. Only in 1796 were people able to start using the church as, well, a church again. Renovations, archaeological excavations, and more building work then took a beating from another hurricane and two World Wars. All in all it still being upright is something of a miracle.
There are some beautiful stained glass windows in here: some were carefully removed and protected during each World War, and others are brand new. Sadly I was without my tripod, so my interior shots came out appallingly and I have very little to show you but the outside…
The church exterior
Plaque commemorating the excavation work in 1902 - 1905
A couple of the church's doors
My one vaguely usable shot of the interior
Admission: Free. Open from 09:00 – 12:00, and 14:00 – 16:00 (17:00 between 1st April and 31st October).
Tips: Easily combined with visits to other Beauvais churches, the cathedral, or the town itself.
How to get there: Click here to see the location in Google Maps. Beauvais has a train station and excellent car parking.
Further information: http://www.cathedrale-beauvais.fr/etienne/index.htm – Church website.
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