St. Pierre-ès-Liens Church

The Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens church, or Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens, is a Catholic parish church located in Condécourt, in the French department of Val-d'Oise. The oldest parts of the church date back to the end of the 11th century: the base of the bell tower with its semicircular arches falling on sawtooth decorated imposts, and its ribbed vault. This bay is not visible from the outside, as it is part of more recent constructions. The second floor of the octagonal bell tower is also of an archaic Romanesque style, and should not be older than the very beginning of the 12th century. The second floor is simpler and was added in the Gothic period. Overall, the church of St. Peter's is of fairly simple architecture, with a single level of elevation, and is characterized by the juxtaposition of four square spaces from four distinct building campaigns, namely the eighteenth-century rusticated nave; the base of the bell tower already noted; the Gothic chancel from the second quarter of the thirteenth century; and the right bay of the chapel of the Virgin, north of the bell tower. This chapel ends with a hemicycle apse, whose cornice, buttresses and windows evoke the very beginning of the Gothic period, while the capitals and keystones correspond rather to the beginning of the 13th century, which could indicate an interruption in the construction. The vault with three branches of ogives is another particularity. The chapel and the bell tower are the architectural interest of the church, which is also unique in its plan. It was registered as a historical monument by decree of July 6, 1925, and is today affiliated to the parish of Avernes et Marines. Sunday masses are celebrated there only two or three times a year.