Saint Lucien Church

Saint-Lucien Church is a Catholic parish church located in Avernes, France. The history of the parish remains in the shadows. Its foundation goes back to at least the middle of the XIIth century, when the portal dates from, which is no longer quite Romanesque, nor yet quite Gothic. The rest of the church is mostly in the early Gothic style. The choir and the transept crossing were built first, towards the end of the 12th century. The transept crossing followed shortly afterwards. The depth of the sanctuary, the sexpartite vault of the first bay, and the particular arrangement of the supports are remarkable, even if the columns of the ogives are missing today. In 1883 and 1888, the choir and the southern cross-bay underwent quite radical restorations, which included the replacement of the keystones and almost all the capitals. At the beginning of the 20th century, the restoration of the northern crossing was not completed, and the result is the presence of cubic blocks as capitals. Unlike the other spans of the same period, the square of the transept has survived the centuries without notable alterations, and remains the most authentic part of the church. As for the nave, it was probably rebuilt at the end of the 15th century, keeping only the capitals of the previous nave from the beginning of the 13th century, as well as the even older portal. The nave also underwent an important restoration at the end of the 19th century, with the installation of false ribbed vaults in plaster. Their aspect is globally in conformity with the original architecture. The exterior of the church is characterized by a squat steeple topped by a high wooden spire; the projecting buttresses of the eastern parts; their single lancet windows flanked by colonnettes and topped by decorated archivolts; and the choir cornice. The Saint-Lucien church was classified as a historical monument by decree of May 7, 1945. Today it is one of the main places of worship of the important parish of Avernes et Marines, and hosts more celebrations than most of the neighboring churches. However, Sunday masses are not celebrated there regularly.