L'ÉGLISE NOTRE-DAME

XI-XVIIIth centuries The town?s oldest religious building, Notre-Dame was also its only parish church until the end of the 18th century. Remodeled several times, its spire was destroyed by lightning in 1619. A new tower topped by a dome was built in 1728. Founded by Countess Sophie in 1088 on the site of an earlier sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Notre-Dame priory depended on the wealthy abbey of Saint-Mihiel. A charter from the Bishop of Toul established the relationship between the monks and the local inhabitants. The prior was appointed parish priest, while a vicar was responsible for the day-to-day running of the parish. The history of the church is punctuated by numerous conflicts of interest between the priory and the town. During the French Revolution, the building was transformed into a temple of Reason, before being returned to its original purpose in 1802. Built over a period of four centuries, Notre-Dame church combines a number of architectural styles. All that remains of the first Romanesque building is one bay of the north aisle and the heavy quadrangular piers that supported the bell towers. The long spire topping the south tower made the building famous until it was destroyed by fire on March 14, 1619. Modelled on the abbey church of Saint-Mihiel, the layout features a double transept, allowing unobstructed access to the choir. The choir was built in the 12th century in a Gothic style with undeniable Champagne influences. Duke Robert the Magnificent had the nave rebuilt in 1383, and several side chapels were added in the following centuries. The porch tower on Rue Bar-la-Ville replaces an earlier aedicula built under Duke Robert. Together with the western facade, this architectural ensemble, designed by the monk-architect Nicolas Pierson, introduces a classical ornamental vocabulary: pilasters, balustrades and a dome. The high relief of the Assumption of the Virgin, by sculptor Louis Humbert, has crowned the entrance porch since 1751. Inside, several works by local artists (Ligier Richier, Jean Crocq, Louis Yard) reveal the artistic wealth of the duchy. All that remains of the conventual buildings (cloister, gardens, monks? living quarters) built around the church is a section that was converted into a civil hospice in 1812. A square replaces the parish cemetery that adjoined the church to the east