One of the most striking traits of the church is its spirit of spacious grandeur effected
by three-story columns that rise from the ground to the ceiling without interruption. The
nave comprises seven bays with broad arcades. The choir precedes an apse in cul-de-four
illuminated by two-story windows. A single stone slab serves as the high altar. To the
right of the choir, a baptistery occupies a 15th-century chapel. A circular gallery
surrounds the entire church. The typically Romanesque exterior is less original.
The abbey was destroyed in 1356 by Charles the Bad. Reconstruction from 1385 to
1420 meticulously followed the original plan of the church. During World War II, the
church was again severely damaged. A comprehensive restoration project, begun in 1945,
took twelve years.
E.Kay Harris
Lessay (Manche), abbey church, nave.
Photograph: Clarence Ward
Collection. Courtesy of Oberlin
College.
Froidevaux, Yves-Marie. “Église abbatiale de Lessay.” Congrès archéologique (Contentin et
Avranchin) 124 (1966):70–82.
Musset, Lucien. Normandie romane. 2 vols. La Pierre-qui-vire: Zodiaque, 1967.
The Encyclopedia 1025