Churches: The Eglise (Church) in Auvers-sur-Oise

When we visited Auvers-sur-Oise recently, we viewed the exterior of the church in Van Gogh's painting.  The church and painting appear below.    

We also ventured inside the church, which is named L'église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption.  

The church is a mixture of architectural styles.  Construction of the existing church, which replaced an earlier church, began in the first half of the 1100's in the Romanesque style.  As Gothic architecture became both possible and favored, construction continued into the 1200's with the use of early Gothic elements and and later High Gothic elements.  

Construction of ancient Roman Catholic churches often began in the eastern part of the building with the choir, where the all important altar is located.  Construction moves westward over time until the nave is completed.  The church in Auvers followed this pattern.  So, the area near the choir and transept are largely Romanesque with the some later Gothic modifications.  The rest of the church, the nave, is largely Gothic.  The diagram illustrates the different times and styles of construction.    

While touring the interior, we learned more about the church's long history.

While touring, we also spotted a nice Joan of Arc statue.

We also spotted a serious problem in the church.

We guessed that after nearly 800 years, the ground is settling and causing some damage to the Gothic portion of the church.

Thanks for visiting the church in Auvers-sur-Oise with us.   

P.S.  While touring Auvers, we spotted some street art, painted mailboxes on a house.  Appropriately, the motif is a Van Gogh painting.  

Irises by Vincent Van Gogh (1889) (from Getty.edu)