Priory of Saint-Arnoult
The Priory of Saint-Arnoult , located at Saint-Arnoult in the Oise is a Prieuré which depended successively on the Abbey of Saint-Germinate-of-Fly and of Beaubec . Historic building in half timbering and Cob, with double cantilever carved dating from the end of the the Middle Ages. The scarcity of this architecture of the end of the 15th century and the quality of its carved decoration justified the inscription of the building on the list of the Historic buildings.
History
Origins
The Priory of Saint-Arnoult first of all depended on the Abbey of Saint-Germinate-of-Fly. Its origins are attested “in the old authentic titles preserved at the files of the old people's home of Clermont. ” Its history is very related to the propagation of the Culte of Saint-Arnoult, in the middle of the XI° century, in the County of Clermont-in-Beauvaisis. Saint-Arnoult (Sanctio Arnulfus in 1210) had a seigniory which concerned the canton of Clermont, “it belonged to the house of Cany” The abbey of Saint-Germinate-of-Fly acquired it.
the worship of Saint-Arnoult
The Toponyme of Saint-Arnoult refers to Saint-Arnoult of Yvelines.Saint-Arnoult, which was bishop of Tours, married Scariberge, the niece of Clovis. He died in Rheims towards 533 and was buried to Saint-Arnoult-in-Yvelines, on the way of Turns. Its relics were the object of a rubbery into 935 with the profit of Crépy-in-Valois, where an abbey was founded. At the beginning of the year thousand, the worship of this Saint is propagated and extended to the XI° and XII° century,in the north of Paris and in all the Isle de France.In Clermont-in-Beauvaisis, a Collégiale dedicated to Saint-Arnoult and Notre-Dame is rested by the lords of Clermont (1023). Under the influence of Guibert of Nogent, former monk of the abbey of Saint-Germinate-of-Fly, the worship of Arnoul of Yvelines develops in Beauvaisis.
Saint-Arnoult, Saint-Jacques-of-Compostelle, and others
From the 6th century to the 11th century many pilgrimages are born, celebrating a multitude of Saints. The relics hold an important place in the medieval company and their worship is propagated with the length of very attended routes, the popularity of the ones influencing them others. The Shell, present at several places on the frontage of the Priory of Saint-Arnoult, is not without pointing out the great pilgrimage which is born at dawn from the 9th century and reached its apogee at the 14th century. Saint-Arnoult, in Oise, is on an axis Boulogne-Chartres, borrowed by the pilgrims of Saint-Jacob de Compostelle. Those went down from Boulogne to Paris in direction of Tours, borrowing the Via Turonensis by Chartres and passed by Saint-Arnoult-in-Yvelines”. With Turns, also the tomb of Saint Martin (Martin de Tours) was whose very important pilgrimage influenced the worship of Arnoul.
Saint-Arnoult and Beaubec
The Abbots of Beaubec were lords, to some extent, of Saint-Arnoult. A plan of 1751 preserved at the Departmental records of Oise, attests the bond of the Priory of Saint-Arnoult with this abbey on which it depends then. One sees there the buildings of Farm laid out around the square farmyard as well as the manor. Are also announced, the grounds and wood pertaining to the abbey. A blame of Consent, on the initiative of Charles of Sauzet du Mas, last Regular abbot of Beaubec, is deposited in 1746, by front the Royaux notaries with the Baillage of Amiens, resident in Grandvilliers.
a farm
During its history, the Priory will take the statute of simple farmhouse. It is probably what will enable him to be preserved to us, after a fashion, in spite of some vissicitudes. In 1976, a fire will destroy a great number of the buildings, saver however the Home of XVè century. At the end of the 19th century, the Count Louis Antoine Ferrand and his brother, the Ferrand Viscount remaining together with the castle of Bernardière, commune of Tessonnières (Two-Sevres), are undivided owners. By adjudication, the Priory is sold on January 30th, 1898, with its grounds, with the Lenoir family, connected with the Famille of Boufflers. Given in Lease to several generations of farmers, the property will remain in this family until in 1982, date on which, it is sold. She becomes the family residence of her new owners who undertake the Restauration site. The Priory is the subject of a protection to the title of the Law on the Historic buildings since 1988 and is opened to the visit.
Structure
a framework with short beams ("bois courts")
The frontage of the priory, such as it is presented today, is the expression of the evolution of the art of the carpentry during the history. The oldest part, the Main building, uses a technique of assembly with "Bois courts". It has two levels of corbelling on main beams and a Comble to addition. The stud work follow one another according to the rate/rhythm of the " as well full as empty" characteristic of the time. The use of the oak in heart and the power of the framework reveal, that with leaving the One hundred Year old war, the timber abounds and its quality is maximum. The pugging is in cob protected by a coating of lime. Thanks to an exposure to the East of the frontage and the important overhang of the corbellings, the sculptures present on the raising pieces and struts, being with the shelter of surface waters are in an excellent state of conservation. Both penthouses are additions of the end of the 18th century. At that time, in Picardy, the technique of construction of half timbering houses evolves to a saving in average characteristic of the country, readable mark on these additions. The half timbering is not any more intended to be exposed and is protected by the coating which hides it. By observing the main building, one notices that he was amputee of a certain number of span: the original masonry was to be prolonged few spans towards the line.
a decoration symbolic system
The elements of the decoration belong to the vocabulary Symbolique of the Middle Ages and are borrowed from the animal vegetable and human kingdom. Roses, shells, oak, peacocks, fish, snakes and dragons alternate with characters with human face beside other animals such a monkey and dogs. The end of the springers still carry traces of extremely eroded faces but from which one still distinguishes the caps. On one of the beams, an alternation of roses carved into positive and negative, and shells offering a convex face and a concave face, draws the attention: this type of decoration is frequent on the monuments of the routes carrying out towards Compostelle.