Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Domont

Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Church is a Catholic parish church located in Domont, France. Its construction is probably triggered by the creation of the parish of Domont in 1142, and it can be located in the mid-twelfth century. Of modest dimensions, its elevation on three levels with a floor of galleries and its plan are however ambitious, which is part of the interest of the building. It is in the early Gothic style, but its ambulatory is still resolutely Romanesque, as indicated by its groin vaulting. In the whole of the north of the Île-de-France, its hemicycle apse with ambulatory seems to be the oldest, and Domont is at the same time one of the rare churches in the region to have an ambulatory but no radiating chapels. Domont having been the seat of a priory dependent on the Cluniac priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs in Paris, from 1108 to 1790, it is probable that the choir of the church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs inspired the choir of Domont. This choir is not only famous for its artistic qualities and the harmony of its architecture, but also for an innovation that appears for the first time in the region. These are the buttresses of the apse, still not very pronounced, and copied directly from those of the cathedral of Sens. After its completion, the church of Domont underwent only moderate alterations, but its rapid dilapidation from the middle of the 18th century led to its closure to worship in 1785, and it was almost completely demolished to be replaced by a new building. Only the shortage of money in the post-revolutionary period prevented the realization of this project, but also a rapid restoration and reconstruction. Most of the work was only undertaken between 1844 and 1857, and it was not until the complete restoration of 2002-2004 that the church finally regained all its 12th century splendor. Its choir and transept crossing were classified as historical monuments by decree of July 22, 1913.