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Crosmières
The church:
Maison de Malicorne
The church of Saint-Hippolite-et-Saint-Laurent, founded in the 12th century, underwent alterations in the 13th, 15th and 19th centuries. The bell-tower is the oldest part. The choir dates back to the 13th century. The nave and transept were rebuilt in the 15th century. The loft of the western wall dates back to the 19th century. Concerning the twist of the spire, see page "Clochers tors".
LEFT - : -Holy water stoop: 15thand 17thcenturies
RIGHT
E François Preau not (air) royal a la Fleche decede le 14e de juin 1603. Resquiescat in pace.
Plaque in memory of Hardouin Mauchen
II. Malicorne House:
Built in the 15th century, at the end of the Hundred Years war, the house was altered in the early 19th century. Its name may be explained by the relationship that existed at that time between Crosmières and the lords of Malicorne or by a sort of pun: "mal y corne" = malheur à ceux qui frappent à cette porte. In the bedroom upstairs, a mural painting represents Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child.
Look at Christopher and then go reassured
If nowadays a sudden death is sometimes considered as a "peaceful death", for our ancestors it was the worst possible way of dying. Unable to repent their sins and receive the Last Rites, those who died suddenly were doomed to Hell and could not be buried in consecrated ground. This is why, in many churches, Saint Christopher was represented larger than life, most of the time in the form of a mural painting on the northern wall of the nave. You probably remember that, according to legend, Saint Christopher was a giant who wished to serve the greatest king on earth and finished by being converted to Chritianity by a hermit. The hermit told him to live by a deep and dangerous river. Thanks to his huge stature he would be able to carry travellers and pilgrims across the river. One night, a child asked him to be carried across. Halfway across the river, the child seemed to become heavier and heavier, the current stronger and stronger and even with his tree-staff Saint Christopher could only just manage to reach the opposite bank. The child - he was the Christ-Child - explained to him that the burden he had just carried was the weight of the whole world and its creator. He told him to plant the staff in the ground and the next morning it had bloomed and bore dates.