Saint-Paul de Cray Church

The parish church of Saint-Paul in Saint-Marcelin-de-Cray is a Romanesque building dating from around the middle of the 12th century.

The parish church of Saint-Paul in Saint-Marcelin-de-Cray is a Romanesque building constructed around the middle of the 12th century. The Lombard strip decoration on the bell tower was already a little archaic at the time. The three-bay nave, with its pointed barrel vault, is preceded by a lower choir bay, on which the bell tower was built, and an apse with a semicircular vault. Gothic wall paintings were discovered during work in the apse in 1982. They have since been restored. The faux-apparatus and fleur-de-lys decoration, as well as the chequered pattern and the figures (the apostles), suggest that they were painted in the late 13th or early 14th century. This Romanesque church has a very fine architectural unity. It's well worth getting away from the main roads for a special visit.