| Collegial Notre-Dame-du-Fort | |
|---|---|
Collégiale Notre-Dame-du-Fort | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Region | Étampes |
| Location | |
| Location | Étampes, France |
| Country | France |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Late Romanesque architecture and primitive Gothic architecture |
The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame-du-Fort is a Catholic parish church, dedicated to Our Lady, situated in the French commune of Étampes in the department of Essonne. It is an old collegiate church, associated with the royal castle situated nearby. It was founded around 1022 by King Robert the Pious. The small crypt under the choir is the only surviving part of the early collegiate church, completed around the middle of the eleventh century. Probably because of its small size, it was replaced by a new church built during five succcessive campaigns between 1130 and 1160, plus one for the royal portal to the south which is one of the most remarkable elements of the church. As a whole, the architecture of the church, which shows influences from Paris and Champagne, shows all the stages of the genesis of Gothic architecture, but it is nevertheless the late Romanesque style that dominates. The bell tower is the product of three other construction campaigns up to about 1180, and is among the most elegant in Île-de-France.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the church was fortified; castellated parapets were placed against the walls and a chemin de ronde was laid out. The result is one of the most complex churches in the region, disfigured on the outside by the defensive elements, but with a certain elegance inside despite the irregularity of the plan and the lack of symmetry. Many interesting and atypical details have provoked archaeologists' interest. The church is listed as a historical monument on the list of 1840. Today it is the main Catholic church of the city.
Location edit
Notre-Dame-du-Fort is situated in France, in the Île-de-France region and in the Essonne department, in the commune of Étampes, in the historic city center on the left bank of the Juine river, below Étampes castle. It was the main church, in the Rue de la République.
No large square highlights the building which is inserted in a very dense urban fabric and bordered by streets all around, which explains the irregularities of the plan. You can walk around the church and it is not adjoining other buildings, but none of the four elevations can be seen in full by taking a step back. Certain parts of the church can be viewed from different perspectives, in particular the western facade with the bell tower, the royal portal in the south, the corner formed by the north aisle and north transept, and the northern end of the north transept. The southern elevation is bordered by the Rue de la République, which clips the corner of the chapel south of the bell tower. A narrow triangular forecourt precedes the western facade. Rue du cloître Notre-Dame runs alongside the church to the north and east. It forms a small square to the north of the north transept.