Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul
The church of St. Peter and St. Paul of Essay, in the department of Orne, dates from the eleventh century. It’s Romanesque entrance is decorated with capitals with monsters head and geometric patterns. The interior of the church, elegantly decorated, includes some elements of classified furniture, such as a cross depicting Christ from the fifteenth century and the baptismal font of the twelfth century, which are decorated with the same geometric decoration as that of the Romanesque portal.
About this building
Located in Essay in Normandy, the 11th-century Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul was probably built by Guillaume de Bellême in the 12th Century. Having undergone several changes over the years, the current building, includes parts from different centuries and different styles, including a significant remodeling in the seventeenth century.
The oldest parts of the church are the choir and the stair tower, which date from the 12th century. On the walls on both sides of the Romanesque style entrance, we can observe traces of apparatus (stones) on the cob. This entrance is decorated with capitals with monsters head and geometric patterns. The single nave, wider and higher than the choir with flat bedside, was rebuilt in the 17th century and covered with a paneled frame. The church also has a 19th century sacristy, which is contiguous to the south of the choir. To the west, stands a bell tower, flanked by a turret set back staircase and provided with a semicircular portal.
In addition, elements of the furniture of the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul are classified, including a cross depicting Christ dated to the fifteenth century and baptismal font dating from the first quarter of the twelfth century, which is decorated with a geometric decoration identical to that of the Romanesque portal. The interior is also decorated with paintings, statues, as well as a medallion representing the bust of Saint Louis.
