Église de la Nativité de Notre-Dame, Magny-en-Vexin

The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité-de-la-Vierge is a Catholic parish church located in Magny-en-Vexin in the Val-d'Oise. It replaces a previous church which dated partly from the XIIIth century and which had been burned by the English in 1436, during the Hundred Years War. Starting with the eastern parts, this church was successively rebuilt in the flamboyant gothic style between 1490 and 1530 approximately, keeping only the piers of the bell tower of the XIIIth century church as well as the plan of the nave. During two other building campaigns, the church was enlarged to the south and to the north, in the Renaissance style. A south aisle flanked by chapels and with a representative portal was erected between about 1540 and 1561. Then a second north cross, a sacristy and a large seigniorial chapel south of the transept were built in the early 16th century, and chapels were added in front of the south aisle. Thus, the Renaissance style becomes dominant on the exterior, where the south elevation facing the city stands out for its unusual silhouette and rich ornamentation. Inside, too, only the choir retains its purely flamboyant character; elsewhere, only the vaults and some of the piers remain. The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité-de-la-Vierge can be considered the most important Renaissance church in the French Vexin Regional Nature Park, and it also contains one of the oldest stone baptisteries in France. Dating from 1534, it is a work of art of great quality. The church's artistic treasures are a large part of its appeal, including the three prayers from the Neufville de Villeroy funeral monuments, a large white marble Virgin and Child from the first quarter of the 14th century, a mid-17th century organ, and several paintings. The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité was classified as a historical monument by order of January 14, 1908. It is today the main church of the deanery or of the parish grouping of the pastoral sector of Vexin ouest.