Les Eglises de la Communauté de Paroisses
St Benoit de Bouzonville

OUTSIDE THE CHURCH



The gothic tower:

What can be seen?

-  The sumptuous wall facing of the porch’s back

-  The great door with its curved tympanum depicting a crucifixion (the tympanum was badly damaged probably after violent revolutionary acts.)  These elements were cleared during restoration in 1979.
 le portail de l'abbatiale

 Changes were done at the beginning of the 18th century:

-  A fourth level with four Romanesque windows was built (this one might have been reused.)

-  The tower was covered with a double baroque onion-shaped dome.  The tower before was supposed to be covered with a four-side pavilion roof in order to comply with the monument style.
 vue de la tour
entrée cloîtrepilastre
-  The cloister’s portico was built and extended to the front of the church western façade.  Later on, a forepart was built at the foot of the tower and pillars from the portico were put in the forepart walls.  Today, even if the portico has disappeared, pilasters and initial section of the transverse arches are still visible.
-  The town’s coats of arms
– the Cross and the Fox –
engraved on the key of the front porch’s arch
avant porche et armoiries

Porches of the annexes:

The porch that separates the two courtyards is from 1698 (the key of the arch is dated.)		 le porche clef de l'arc datée

The porch which is at the entry of the abbey church and which looks out onto the town is from 1636.


The Chevet:

When walking along the southern façade, one can see:

contrefortabsides et tourelles

-  The large pyramidal buttress (picture on left) (this one does not have its counterpart because the wing of the cloister held it up on the other side.)  During the restoration works (now over), the buttress was replaced by another one which is identical to the ones existing, therefore giving its stamp of origin at the south apsidal.

-  The three apses made of freestone (picture on right):  the chancel apse has three majestic untraceried windows.

-  The two turrets are very stylish and are well fixed in the hollow of the junctions of the apses.  You will notice that the turrets are not corbelled as they lean on the buttresses.
The north turret is circular at the base.  It is the only one that has a spiral staircase which leads (up) to the attic.
statue vierge

-  The arched recess between the two vertical buttresses at the end of the chevet may have led to the basement of the first building.  It is also admitted that this place could have been occupied by the church’s ossuary.

The work undertaken since 2006 as part of the restoration:

 In place of a big rocky pyramidal spur (side first courtyard of the abbey) which had no its counterpart on the other side, was constructed in the identity of the existent, a new foothills, which gives again its stamp of origin at the south apsidal.

The south tower, which threatened ruin, was disassembled in its upper and rebuilt in the same with reuse the stones in good condition and replacing those that were too damaged.
The entire bed has been the subject of a redevelopment with replacement of stone in poor condition.
Accomplished work is splendid and gives again a new youth in our abbey church.

The roof of turrets dating from 1957 was removed and replaced by a new roof.
The companions of the company LEBRAS Frères realized the slate roof according to the method of pose to the «Old German».
The summit of the turret is combed of two ears.
The restoration work of the bed has been completed.
New instalments are being studied.

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