Saint Lucien Church

Léglise Saint-Lucien de Litz is a Catholic parish church located in Litz, in the department of Oise, France. The single nave, which has never been vaulted, is in the Romanesque tradition, but the portal, hidden under a modern porch, is no earlier than the end of the 12th century. Older are the west and north walls of the base of the bell tower, which is itself a frame construction of the modern period. Its walls were integrated into the vast choir with double transept and five-sided apse, which was completed in 1542, a time of reconstruction and restoration of many churches in the region. It testifies to the successive passage from the flamboyant Gothic style to the Renaissance. It is nevertheless homogeneous, and seems to have been built in a single block. Inside, the particularly complex profile of the longitudinal double arches, the way in which the ribs of the vaults interpenetrate, and the reception of certain moldings on the bases are original features characteristic of the flamboyant style. Only the keystones, three of the vault's abutments, and a liturgical pool are Renaissance in style. On the exterior, the modenature of the double southern crosspiece and the decoration of its buttresses reflect this movement. The apse is characterized by windows whose tympanum alone has a flamboyant filling with two or three tri-lobed arches. As a whole, the church of Saint-Lucien is a remarkable rural church, as much for its double transept plan as for its careful execution, and an architecture that avoids the stereotypes frequently reproached to the flamboyant style. It also has a very complete furniture, with a rood beam, many statues of popular manufacture before the French Revolution, beautiful restored woodwork, and two well studied architectural altarpieces. The church of Saint-Lucien was registered as a historical monument by decree of October 14, 2002, and is today affiliated with the parish of Saint-Louis de Bresles. Early Sunday masses are celebrated there about every two months.