Église Saint-Vigor – Cheux

Listed as a historic monument since 30 July 1910

History:
First half of the 12th and 20th centuries.

Remarkably restored by the Beaux-Arts under the direction of architect Merlet, “it was one of the finest Romanesque buildings on the Caen plain”.
The chancel is thought to date from the first half of the 12th century, as is the transept.
The nave dates from the 13th century, whilst the façade appears to be from the late 12th or early 13th century.

“The church at Cheux is very large and reflected the former importance of this market town, the administrative centre of a sergenterie within the Caen election; it consists of a long nave flanked by side aisles, transepts, an apse and two chapels attached on either side of the apse, to the east of the transept.” (Arcisse de Caumont 1-215)
Statistiques monumentales du Calvados. Volume 1 / by M. de Caumont,… | Gallica

At the time of the Liberation, during the bombings of 1944, the Germans detonated munitions stored in the tower, which was destroyed along with two-thirds of the church. The chapels mentioned by Arcisse de Caumont have disappeared.

The stained-glass windows of Cheux Church, prior to its destruction, had been crafted at Mont-Saint-Michel.

M. Than, a professor at the College of Arts and Rectors of Universities, served as parish priest of Cheux in the 18th century. He died in 1765 and was the author of a Latin and French grammar.

Dedicated to Saint Vigor, Bishop of Bayeux around 538, a contemporary of Clovis.
Saint Vigor was long venerated in the monasteries founded by Eudes, Bishop of Bayeux and brother of William, in the 11th century. According to legend, he is said to have diverted a flock of devastating geese and then managed to make a dragon that was ravaging the region disappear. More seriously, he eradicated the remnants of paganism in the Bessin region. He is also credited with two other miracles of a similar nature: one here in Cheux, which in the 6th century was called CELLA, and one in Cambremer, known as CAMERON at the time.

Architecture:
The chancel and transept are in the Romanesque style (12th century).

Layout: this church, with a Latin cross plan, has eight bays and is oriented (that is to say, facing east). The nave is flanked by two side aisles. The transept provides access to the chancel. A bell tower with a pavilion sits above the transept. The nave is topped by a gable roof, the side aisles by a lean-to roof and the chancel by a hipped roof.

External elevation: Saint Vigor’s Church comprises two storeys: the large arches on the first storey and the tall windows on the second. The façade mirrors the interior of the church, as the nave can be distinguished from the side aisles. Furthermore, Romanesque buttresses can be seen on either side of the portal; smaller buttresses are situated at the northern and southern ends of the façade. This façade has three levels.

The portal is situated on the first level: it is emphasised by an arcature comprising three arches. These symbolise the Trinity. The small side arches (of the pointed arch type) are blind and rest on pilasters. The large arch housing the entrance portal (a low pointed arch) consists of three jambs and three voussoirs; it has a tympanum without any sculpted decoration. On either side of the central façade, there are two lancet windows surmounted by semicircular arches resting on pilasters. These lancet windows open onto the side aisles.

The second level of the façade follows the layout of the first: there is an arcade of three arches (here barrel-vaulted), the outer ones of which are blind. The central arch contains a window.
The third level features a rose window (which is a Romanesque window).

As for the side walls (to the north and south), they consist of two levels. A distinction can be made between the elevation of the nave (five bays) and that of the chancel (two bays). The walls of the nave are surmounted by a cornice with modillions.
The cornice is not continuous, as the buttresses divide it into several sections. There are four buttresses on each level. On the first level, these buttresses alternate with small, elongated windows. On the second storey, the buttresses separate five groups of three windows, the central opening of each group being openwork and featuring a lancet window. As for the side walls of the chancel, the second storey features two twin lancet windows separated by a Romanesque buttress. Furthermore, the transept arm features three Romanesque buttresses, a door (surmounted by a keystoned semicircular arch) to the north of the south façade, and two lancet windows.

The bell tower, surmounted by a modillion cornice, comprises two storeys. On each side, the first storey has five openings, of which only two are openwork (they alternate). The second storey has four openings on the north and south sides: the two central openings are twin lancets, and all the openings are surmounted by a semicircular arch. The second storey has five openings on the west and east sides: the three central openings are openwork, and each opening is separated by an arcade of semicircular arches.

The chancel is semi-circular in shape and comprises three storeys.
The roof rests on a modillion cornice. The chancel is punctuated by several pilasters extending across all three storeys. The first storey features three blind arcades, each with three ogee barrel vaults. These arches rest on four pilasters. The second level comprises three bays, again separated by large pilasters. Each of these bays is surmounted by a semicircular arch and occupies only half the height of the second level. The third level features three large openings surmounted by semicircular arches. A sculpted decoration crowns each of these three openings, thereby highlighting them. Thus, the east façade features the chancel. One can also distinguish the nave from the side aisles, as there are three gables (one for the nave and two for the side aisles).

Interior elevation: the nave has a segmental barrel vault, whilst the side aisles have a semi-circular barrel vault.
On the ground floor, the large arcades consist of lowered pointed arches, separated by pilasters with capitals featuring plant motifs. These arches rest on pillars alternating between circular forms and circular forms flanked by columns.
On the second level, the tall windows are topped by keystoned semicircular arches and flanked by pilasters.
The entrance to the transept is flanked by Romanesque buttresses. The arches found at the transept level are ogee arches and rest on pilasters.

The chancel is bathed in light thanks to the windows found on both levels. The windows on the first level alternate with blind windows; the semicircular arches rest on pilasters. The second level of the chancel features wider windows, also topped by semicircular arches resting on pilasters.

It is worth noting that one of the side aisles features two keystones salvaged from the ruins following the 1944 bombing (see below).

In the 19th century, during the reconstruction, the appearance was altered and the openings were enlarged. In the nave, the wooden vault dates from the 1860s.
In the apse, excavations carried out during the church’s restoration revealed the foundations of pillars. It was on the basis of this discovery that the Department of Fine Arts decided to reconstruct them, even though they did not exist prior to 1944.
As for the bell tower, its roof was originally made of timber covered with slate; today, the roof is made of tiles.

Objects / Points of interest:

Funeral slab (listed object – CLMH 1908)
Date of creation: c. 1577
Tombstone of Marie Mourin, wife of Jehans d’Aillefest, who died in 1577.

Keystones: Saint Nicholas and Saint Vigor (listed object – ISMH 1988)
These carved keystones date from the 15th or 16th century.
Carved stone
One depicts Saint Vigor, a bishop wearing a mitre and holding a crosier; he is holding two chained monsters, symbols of paganism. The other depicts Saint Nicholas and the miraculous legend of the salt-preserving vat.

Capitals (listed as a heritage site – ISMH 1988)
Dating from the Middle Ages, restored in 2017.
Carved stone
Depicting two monks’ heads
Restorers Thomas Bonneau and Pauline Carminati detected traces of polychromy, revealing that this piece was originally very colourful and not the natural stone colour it appears to be today.

Confessional (listed as an ISMH heritage item since 1985)
18th century
Carved wood
Confessional with a scalloped design.

Statue: Christ on the Cross (listed as an ISMH heritage item since 1985)
19th century
Carved wood