Église Saint-Aspais, Melun

The Saint-Aspais church is a Catholic parish church located in Melun, France, on the right bank of the Seine. It is the only church in France dedicated to Saint Aspais, evangelizer of the city in late antiquity, whose life is unknown. It was originally located in a suburb, and succeeded a more modest Gothic church, of which a capital and some debris were found in 2011. At the end of the 15th century, Saint-Aspais was the most populous parish in the city, and the inhabitants decided to enlarge the church. First, a new bell tower was built to the north of the facade, and completed around 1480. From 1506, the facade was rebuilt in the flamboyant Gothic style, as well as the three bays of the nave. The construction of the new choir was launched on March 23, 1517, under the direction of the Parisian master builder Jehan de Félin, who also provided a plan for the total reconstruction of the church, including the nave built only ten years earlier. De Félin gave more elevation to the choir than the churchwardens had imagined, and took care of the sculpted decoration, which provoked the anger of the council of the church concerned with budget control, and led to lawsuits. Thus, the building site was interrupted in 1519, and the architect died a year later. In 1546, the local master builder Jehan François continued the work following the plan of his predecessor, and the church was completed around 1556. Thanks to numerous donations, it was endowed with a rich furniture. But the economic constraints imposed on the architects took their revenge, and the church was close to ruin at the end of the 1660's. It experienced a series of bad lucks, with vaults collapsing due to structural disorders, and damage to the frameworks caused by violent weather. The resources of the parish were not sufficient to finance the reconstruction, but it became possible thanks to an extraordinary tax, to the generosity of rich parishioners, and to the help of some renowned architects. In the 18th century, the parish recovered its prosperity and the church was redecorated. During the French Revolution, the transformation of the church into a saltpetre workshop saved it from destruction, but most of the furniture was lost. The church was classified as a historical monument by a decree dated February 21, 1914. Under the American bombardment during the battle for the liberation of Melun, the church was severely damaged on August 25, 1944. It remained totally closed to worship until 1951, and was only fully reopened in 1960. Saint-Aspais is today the main parish church of Melun. From an artistic point of view, it is interesting for its stylistic homogeneity, its irregular plan imposed by the lack of space, and its stained glass windows in the Renaissance style.