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Normandy Giverny Saint Radegonde Church 
Originally built in the 11th century in the Romanesque style, the church was named after Saint Radegonde, a 6th-century Frankish queen who was to become a nun and was revered for her piety and charitable works. The church underwent major additions in the 15th and 16th centuries, incorporating Gothic elements like pointed arches and more refined stonework using local limestone. It also included the vaulted wooden ceiling and carved stone modillons still visible today. The church now showcases Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Between 2008 and 2010, the church underwent significant restoration in order to preserve its medieval character and to help stabilise the structure. It also highlighted its historical features and revealed rare decorative elements, including grotesque modillons, which are carved corbels depicting fantastical faces and creatures. The semi-circular apse is one of the oldest surviving elements, dating back to the 11th century. It’s topped with half-dome vault and adorned with modillons, The church is built primarily from local limestone, giving it a pale, weathered appearance that blends with the surrounding landscape. It features a modest bell tower that reflects its rural origins and layered architectural history. This is integrated into the western façade, rising above the entrance in a simple, rectangular form. This was likely added or modified during the 16th-century Gothic renovations. It’s simple in form, without elaborate ornamentation. It’s constructed from local limestone, like the rest of the church, giving it a weathered, pale appearance that blends with the surrounding landscape. The bell tower houses a single bell, used to mark services and community events. It’s rung manually, preserving the traditional rhythm of parish life. The roof of the building is pitched and covered with traditional Norman tiles, which are clay or terracotta commonly used in Normandy’s rural and historic buildings. They often have a flat or slightly curved profile, laid in overlapping rows to create a weather-resistant roof. The surface may be dimpled or hand-sanded, giving it a rustic, aged appearance that blends beautifully with stone masonry. Internally, the church has a single nave which is simple and rectangular, typical of rural Romanesque churches, with no side aisles. It provides a direct path leading toward the choir and altar. The ceiling is a vaulted wooden ceiling, likely reconstructed during the 16th-century Gothic renovations. Its warm timber tones contrast with the cool stone walls, creating a rustic elegance with the wooden pews arranged in rows facing the altar.  Positioned near the entrance of the nave, is the font which symbolizes spiritual entry into the Christian faith.  It’s used for infant baptisms and occasional adult rites, serving as a quiet but essential part of parish life, it is believed to date from the 17th or 18th century although no exact details are known.  Natural light filters through relatively small stained-glass windows into the church. The windows allow soft, diffused light to enter the nave and choir, enhancing the contemplative atmosphere. They are simple in design, often with muted colours and geometric patterns rather than elaborate biblical scenes. Although some feature traditional Christian symbols such as crosses, doves, and chalices or religious figures.  Located in the nave are a number of statues, which includes one from the 14th-century with a missing head. This is carved in stone, possibly depicting a saint or religious figure. The statue is believed to have been decapitated during the French Revolution, a period when many religious artworks were defaced or destroyed in acts of anti-clerical fervour. Its placement in the nave suggests it once held a prominent devotional role, perhaps at the side of an altar.  Standing opposite the decapitated 14th-century statue is the stone statue with a bishop’s mitre, missing hand, and blue cloak. This is the statue of Saint Louis of Anjou, Bishop of Toulouse. He was a 13th-century French prince who renounced royal privilege to become a Franciscan and later Bishop of Toulouse.  The statue is carved from stone, and though fragmentary, it retains its bishop’s mitre and traces of a blue polychrome cloak, often associated with royal or ecclesiastical figures. The missing hand may have once held a crozier or book, symbols of episcopal authority and wisdom. This statue was rediscovered and repaired during the 2008–2010 restoration, along with other fragmentary figures like Saint Nicolas and Saint Barbara. From the nave, the semi-circular apse, typical of Romanesque design, houses the choir and high altar, making it the spiritual heart of the church. This is one of its oldest and most architecturally significant features and dates back to the 11th century and confirms the church’s Romanesque identity. Its curvature and vaulted ceiling help amplify sound, creating a natural acoustic chamber for prayer and music. The apse retains its half-dome vault, with carved grotesque modillons looking down from the roofline. These are original to the medieval phase and remarkably well preserved. The transition from the nave to the apse is marked by a chancel arch, likely added or refined during the 15th-century Gothic renovations. Positioned in the semi-circular apse is the high altar which dates from the 17th-century. It is crafted from painted wood, depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus which shows Jesus in radiant glory on Mount Tabor, flanked by Moses and Elijah, with apostles below, capturing the moment of divine revelation it features vivid colours and dynamic figures, contrasting with the church’s Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The painting is set within a carved wooden surround, featuring moulded panels and subtle decorative flourishes Flanking the altar are statues of Saint John the Baptist (18th century), Saint Quentin (16th century), and a wooden Christ figure suspended above the nave which is known as the Beam of Glory.  The church contains two side altars, both of which are modestly adorned, in keeping with the church’s rural character, each has its own devotional focus and artistic character. These side altars offer quiet spaces for personal prayer and reflection, complementing the high altar’s dramatic Baroque centerpiece. The North Side Altar is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this altar features a 14th-century stone statue of the Virgin and Child. The figure is housed in a niche and reflects Gothic elegance with soft facial features and flowing drapery.  South Side Altar is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, it holds a large wooden statue from the 18th century, showing the saint in his traditional wilderness attire, possibly pointing toward the Lamb of God.  The Church’s pulpit is positioned along the north side of the nave, and is elevated slightly to allow the priest to address the congregation clearly. Probably dating to the 17th or 18th century, aligning with other interior elements like the painted altar and wooden statues. Simple in design it is crafted from dark-stained wood and carvings that reflect the church’s understated aesthetic.  Located near the entrance is a simple wooden cart likely dating from the 19th or early 20th century, when such vehicles were commonly used in rural parishes. The cart would have carried coffins from the church to the graveyard, especially during funerals where pallbearers might not have been available. It was also used for practical purposes, such as transporting flowers, cleaning supplies, or seasonal decorations within the church. During special occasions such as All Saints’ Day or Monet commemorations, it can be used to carry floral arrangements to the cemetery or altar.  Located on the east side of the church, is the Graveyard. It is a slightly overgrown space, with wildflowers and ivy accessible via a path that gently rises from Rue Claude Monet.  While the church itself dates to the 11th century, there’s no confirmed evidence of medieval graves still intact in the cemetery. Although, the graves do span several centuries with most of the visible ones, dating from 19th to 20th Century. This includes the modest family grave of the Monet Family where Claude Monet, the famed Impressionist painter, is buried alongside his wife Alice, son Michel, and other family members. The Monet House and Gardens is located a short walk from the church.  Also to be seen is the grave of Gerald Van der Kemp, the curator who led the restoration of Monet’s house and gardens and his wife Florence. Also in the cemetery is the WWII British Airmen Memorial to commemorate Seven Royal Air Force crew members who died in a Lancaster bomber crash near Giverny in June 1944, a poignant reminder of the village’s wartime history. |
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All Photographs were taken by and are copyright of Ron Gatepain
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