The Church Saint Vigor of Marly le Roi !!!

Posted in France, Versailles

Lots of history here, and lots of memories visiting and riding once living in Versailles. It has been a while and perhaps nostalgic will bring out more, This is the town of Marly le Roi, in the Yvelines  dept 78, Île de France region of my belle France. The town is 22 km from Paris, 9 km from Versailles, 5 km from Saint-Germain-en-Laye , and 461 km from my current home, The town is located 4 km from exit 6 of the A13 autoroute de Normandie ,same exit for Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Marly-le-Roi, Le Chesnay, Versailles-Notre Dame (my former home). Therefore,here is my take on the Church Saint Vigor of Marly le Roi !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Church Saint-Vigor is located at 17 Bis Rue de Saint-Cyr in Marly le Roi, It was built in 1688 by Mansart. The church was a gift from Louis XIV to the inhabitants of Marly-Chastel and Marly-Bourg, a village that then encompassed two parishes. After acquiring the barony of Marly-le-Chastel from the Montmorency family in 1676, Louis XIV decided to build a new royal residence there. Previously, two churches existed in Marly-le-Roi: Saint-Etienne de Marly-le-Bourg and Saint-Vigor de Marly-le-Chastel. Saint-Etienne was then in ruins and Saint-Vigor in a pitiful state. Louis XIV merged the two pre-existing parishes in 1681, commissioned his architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and donated his own funds to build a new church on the site of the old 11C sanctuary. The first stone was laid on April 24, 1688. It would be consecrated just one year later, on April 1, 1689.

In 1710, the high altar of the former chapel of the Palace of Versailles, which had witnessed the morganatic marriage of Louis XIV to Madame de Maintenon, was installed in the church. In 1789, the church was emptied of its furnishings, and the bronze relic casings were melted down to make cannons. Of the four original bells, three were taken down during the French revolution and melted down in 1794, the bronze being reused in the manufacture of cannons. The remaining large bell, weighing 3,500 pounds, was taken down in 1824 and melted down to create the two current bells called Antoinette and Eléonore. The new church, with its squat façade, surmounted by a fleur-de-lis cross, and a 42-meter-high bell tower.

The interior decoration of the Church Saint Vigor was initially very sober, before the elements of the old chapel of the Palace of Versailles were installed, including the marble high altar with statues of angels. To the right of the altar, in front of the sacristy, is the chapel of Calvary where Christ on the cross rests on a support which is the back of the seat occupied by Louis XIV in the church. Above the sacristy door, one can see the Ave Maria bell, dated 1473, from the Saint-Etienne priory. It was donated to the church at the end of the 19C by the owners of the Kenil. It depicts Saint Michael slaying a dragon. In the left transept of the church, the altar is dedicated to Saint Thibaut de Marly. On either side are stained-glass windows, including one created in 1903. It depicts the saint offering King Louis IX and his wife, Margaret of Provence, a basket of eleven lilies, a sign of the eleven children they would have. The organ loft and pulpit are carved oak.

The city of Marly le Roi on the Church Saint Vigor: https://www.marlyleroi.fr/Patrimoine+ancien/58/D/7/9/B1/

The local Seine St Germain en Laye tourist office on Marly le Roi: https://www.seine-saintgermain.fr/en/things-to-see-and-do/towns-and-villages/village-spirit/the-charming-old-village-of-marly-2/

The Catholic Parrish of Marly le Roi on the church : https://marly-catholique78.fr/pour-vous-accueillir/

The Yvelines dept 78 tourist office on Marly le Roi: https://www.destination-yvelines.fr/visiter-marly-le-roi-ville-royale/

There you go folks, a historical wonderful area we love from our former hunting ground. The area of Marly le Roi is tops to visit and to live, and you should enjoy it all surrounded by lush surrounding in noble French traditions. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church Saint Vigor of Marly le Roi !!! as I .

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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