St. Valéry Church, Varengeville-sur-Mer, France

The Saint-Valéry Church in Varengeville-sur-Mer is perched on top of the cliffs of Ailly, hidden among gardens and woods bordering the cliff and overlooks the sea from a height of 84 metres. The lateral aisle in sandstone dates back to 1548 and was perhaps built by Jehan Ango to enlarge the primitive sanctuary. The Choir is bathed in a blue light diffused by the abstract stained glass of Raoul Ubac, disciple of Braque. The wreathed column is decorated with reliefs which were inspired by maritime expeditions. The 3rd column is polygonal (a Henry II pillar top).

The church is surrounded by the marine cemetery, made famous by 2 brothers, Jérôme and Jean Tharaud, who lived in Varengeville and wrote several texts about it in the Chronicles of Figaro in 1948. This was the beginning of the fame of this sanctuary. Some artists compare the texts of the Tharaud brothers to the poem by Paul Valéry, the Marine Cemetery, written in 1920 and singing the charms of the marine cemetery of Sète. Analogies were drawn between the two cemeteries.

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Dieppe Tourism

Religious sites in France

User Reviews

Lukas Schwegmann (3 years ago)
Wounderful place to stay for a while. Don’t miss the Christ depiction in window glass within the church. Nice view from the beach.

Gerbrand Bosman (3 years ago)
Lovely little church with modern and older stained glass windows. Enjoy the view over the bay and remember it's church for mariners who didn't all make it home.

HJ Hemmer (3 years ago)
Very beautiful small église with sea view. Me and my husband found tomb of Michel Ciry assumed to be the artist who drew the painting of Jesus inside the église. Try to find the tomb of George Braque as well! The famous artist

Emanuele Dolce (5 years ago)
Lovely little church with a splendid ocean view and George Braque’s tomb.

Claudio Vergari (7 years ago)
Worth the detour

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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St. Valéry Church

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