Saint Léger Church in Monthermé

Saint Léger Church in Monthermé was built towards the end of the 12th century, at the same time as the slate quarrying activity began. The original building was pillaged and burned down in 1445 by a horde of brigands in the pay of Evrard de la Marck, Lord of Rochefort and Agimont who was at war with Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, Prince of the Burgundian Low Countries for some land that had been inherited by his family. The rebuilt church was consecrated in 1452 by the Archbishop of Reims, Jean Juvenal des Ursins, as indicated by the consecration stone at the northern entrance. Holes made in the wall received the beams of a removable floor on which harquebusiers stood. The population of Monthermé was often the victim of wars and attacks by bands of brigands, which explains why this building was fortified and used as a refuge and defensive shelter during the Wars of Religion (1562-1598). Take a look at.... The frescoes. The first frescoes were discovered in 1925, under a whitewash that was flaking off because of the damp. Campaigns were carried out to reveal and restore them between 1961 and 1967. The purpose of these frescoes was to instruct the people, most of whom would have been illiterate in the 16th century, and they would have cost less than the tapestries that were sometimes the cause of fires.

 

 

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