Église Saint-Germain-de-Paris, Les Mureaux

The church of Saint-Germain-de-Paris is a Catholic parish church, located in Hardricourt, in the Yvelines, France. It is a building of limited dimensions, which is organized around a core of two bays of late Romanesque style from the second quarter of the twelfth century, not visible from the outside. One is the base of the bell tower, the other the first bay of the choir. They have two of the oldest ribbed vaults in the French Vexin, which already show a rather pronounced tier-point layout. The two side chapels and the apse with its hemicycle chevet have lost all character since their reconstruction in modern times. The single nave is also of little interest, but nevertheless has a beautiful panelled roof structure, and four large blocked arcades to the north, which also date from the second quarter of the 12th century, and are the last remains of the old north aisle. Their archaeological value lies in the fact that they represent one of the first occurrences of large arcades falling on isolated monocylindrical pillars, which will become characteristic of many Gothic churches in the region. The most remarkable feature of the church, however, is its Romanesque bell tower, which is an elegant and neat construction, topped by a slender stone spire a little later. Only the bell tower has been classified as a historical monument by list of 1875. Hardricourt is now affiliated with the parish of Meulan, and Sunday masses are celebrated there every fifth Sunday at 9 am.