Abbatiale Notre-Dame, Mouzon

The abbey church of Notre-Dame de Mouzon is the former church of the abbey of Mouzon, in the Ardennes in France.

The evolution of this abbey church in the Middle Ages is linked to the relics housed there, notably those of Saint Victor and Saint Arnoul. These relics were the object of an ostentatious cult and became a source of material income. The influx of pilgrims forced the construction of this building, in the 12th and 13th centuries, which was inspired by the first Gothic style buildings, but already announced, by certain technical choices, a second generation. The relatively small size of the place, compared to the stone vessels of the great cathedrals, allows visitors to easily see the entire church envelope, with differences in the intensity of the light inside, giving relief to the architectural elements and the religious furniture. The presence of a recluse a few meters from the choir of the abbey church is also a testimony to the diversity of forms that religious life in the West took at the time.

At the beginning of the 18th century, an organ was installed by Christophe Moucherel as well as a baroque style high altar. During the Revolution, the building was preserved by the commune, despite the dissolution of the monastic community, by becoming the parish church.

This church is however the object of a certain disaffection and a lack of maintenance which weakens it. But it was classified as a historical monument as soon as the first list of protected monuments was issued, the list of 1840. From 1855 to 1890, it benefited from an important restoration campaign. This work, desired by Prosper Mérimée, was carried out under the leadership of the architect Émile Boeswillwald. It allowed the building to be saved. Nevertheless, the western façade was profoundly modified.