e_x12_Tour

From a parish Church, it became a Collegiate Church in 1666 under the episcopate of Monseigneur Antoine Godeau ( 1606 - 1672 ), who was one of the founding members of the French Academy. Originally, its six bells could be heard from all sides of the parish. One of the bells, called the "Bugadiere" (the laundress), was shaped like the container in which clothes were washed ( la Bugado). This very bell was cast in 1672. The original weight of its clapper was 187 pounds, but was reduced to 110 pounds. When the Church Tower collapsed in 1739, it was rebuilt. A commemorative inscription on its base states : "This Church Tower that once stood on the left side was rebuilt on the right side and gained height in 1740".



							The Church tower - 18th century
							The Church tower - 18th century
							The Collegiate Church
							From a parish Church, it became a Collegiate Church in 1666 under the episcopate of Monseigneur Antoine Godeau ( 1606 - 1672 ), who was one of the founding members of the French Academy. Originally, its six bells could be heard from all sides of the parish. One of the bells, called the "Bugadiere" (the laundress), was shaped like the container in which clothes were washed ( la Bugado). This very bell was cast in 1672. The original weight of its clapper was 187 pounds, but was reduced to 110 pounds. When the Church Tower collapsed in 1739, it was rebuilt. A commemorative inscription on its base states : "This Church Tower that once stood on the left side was rebuilt on the right side and gained height in 1740".
				Photo P. Diot