Centred around the convent, the conventual buildings and the chapel constituted a monastic fence overhanging a low court encircled by farm buildings.

Built in a single phase and completed in 1263, the priory chapel is a strikingly simple and elegant Gothic edifice, beautiful proportionned and yet sturdy in appearance. It is 25 m long, 8m wide and 12 m high internally ans consists of a simple nave of four bays terminating in a pentagonal choir.

 Ther is a small side chapel off the fourth bay on the north side. Originally this side chapel had an L-shaped extension facing south-west and encloising a cloister.

Of these monastic buildings all that remains is a cellar, which cannot be visited.

Plan one the ground and plan of bays

 Externally the nave and apse follow a regular pattern of alternating buttresses and windows. The latter are all identical, each being composed of a simple double lancet surmounted by a rose of six lobes. The absence of columns and capitals is evidence of tendency towards austerity which is characteristic of Augustininian monastic buildings. Only in the little west doorway with its triple columns of decreasing diameter do we find a gentler, less severe touch.

Transverse section towards the chorus

Sight With dimensions Southern

The interior displays the bold spatial homogeneity that is typical of abbey and palace chapels of the period. Quite apart from the quality of the architecture, the sculpture is also remarkable, especially the beautiful carved bases of the fourth pair of pillars, one with an oak leaf motif; these were designed to leave space for choir stalls which have long since disappeared. The ribs of the ogival vaulted roof are supported on elaborately carved capitals, and the roof bosses are superbly ornamented with crowned heads similar to those found in the basilica of Saint Denis and in the royal chapel of the chateau of St Germain en Laye.

The combinaison of economy and refinement with which the chapel was built led to its being attributed in 1989 by J. Moulin, head of the Monuments Historiques, to the architect Pierre de Montreuil.

By its geographical and chronological position, the chapel is a synthesis of the various Gothic experiments of Island-of-France.

Comparative with other some XIII 2nd century old chapels

But this chapel is in a worrisome state.

Successive owners have striven to preserve the Priory ans the chapel in particular. In 1963 steel braces were fitted to prevent the collapse of the roof vaults, and in 1995 extensive restoration work on the roof helped to further stabilise the fabric of the building. The chapel has nox been saved but a ggod deal of further restoration is required before its full splendour can be revealed

- To consult the file of work of restoration, to click here

- to know the architectural details, to click here