St. Germain Church

Saint-Germain-de-Paris Church is a Catholic parish church located in Mézy-sur-Seine, Yvelines, France. Founded in the late twelfth century, it was burned and partly destroyed during the Hundred Years' War, and then underwent a complete reconstruction in the mid-sixteenth century, with a new consecration in 1554. The church of Saint-Germain represents thus one of the rare churches entirely rebuilt in the flamboyant Gothic style in the French Vexin. The influences of the Renaissance, in full development during the period of the reconstruction, are still limited to the modenature in the choir, and to the filling of a part of the windows. The layout of the side elevations of the nave, with a storey of high windows, is probably inherited from the previous building, and the large arcades are apparently the reworked arcades of the early 13th century. The architecture does not offer any remarkable elements, and is in sum rather rustic. The church is especially noteworthy for the beautiful size of the central nave. Left unfinished, it received most of its vaults only in the 1870s, but the bell tower was not built beyond the stump, and the western portal is devoid of any decoration. As an interesting witness of the flamboyant reconstruction, the church of Saint-Germain-de-Paris was nevertheless registered as a historical monument by decree of July 19, 1926. Today it is affiliated to the parish of Meulan, and Sunday masses are celebrated there every fifth Sunday at 9:00 am.