Version française

If nothing actually worth remembering took place for over a century and a half after 1610 / 20, things were very different during the French Revolution. From then on, the history of the Collegiate church was that of damages followed by restorations before new destructions occured.

IHere and elsewhere at the same time

The late XVIIIth century Revolution severely affected the religious buildings of Vernon. The local Franscican monastery disappeared as well as two parish churches, sold as national property to building contractors and demolished. Only a glass window in the Collegiate church and the name of two streets still recall them.
Our Lady itself was turned into a "Temple of Reason and Philosophy" where the local patriotic society -an associate member of the Club des Jacobins (a Parisian extremist movement)- used to meet.

Much of the damage made at that time is still visible, such as the beheaded or missing statues of the West and the North porches. Old stained glass was shattered, the twelve large statues of the Apostles which decorated the nave were hacked away, most of the monuments and tombs inside the church were destroyed and the collection of church silver and goldware -even more beautiful than the one in Evreux cathedral, it was said- was seized by the government and melted. Only the organ did not suffer damage as it was used for national and patriotic celebrations and, undoubtedly, used to play revolutionary songs instead of religious hymns!

It took several decades in the XIXth century to return the church to some of its former beauty: an altar was brought from Gaillon, a neighbouring town, to replace the original one, a number of new sculptures was carved, inside as well as outside, new paintings were hung, stained-glass windows installed, etc...

IHere and elsewhere at the same time

This, unfortunately, was overlooking the fury of wars, and, in 1940, air raids devastated the town, damaging the church and shattering the stained glass, except a single window that had been taken down for restoration in 1939 just before the war.

IHere and elsewhere at the same time

Left exposed to all winds for a few days in a town deserted by its inhabitants who had fled away, the Collegiate church was the prey of looters and a magnificent collection of vestments - which guidebooks of the time said to be exceptional- was stolen.

Since 1971, visitors have no longer been able to admire a collection of six XVIIth century Flemish tapestries which used to hang in the nave and that were stolen on a sad December 1971 night.

 

Much restoration work was required after the war and the rebirth of Our Lady Collegiate church came with the fitting of modern abstract stained glass windows, the last of which, made in 1994 by Mr Hermet and Mrs Juteau from Lorin glass workshop in Chartres, are timeless and unique, of exceptional quality and contribute to making the church one of the most prestigious Christian landmarks in Normandy.

Recapitulation of the various building periods and supplementary informationn