Eglise Notre Dame de l'Assomption à Milly-la-Forêt

The church of Milly-la-Forêt was firstly founded during the 11th century. It was once the chapel of the castle de la Bonde before becoming the church of the city.
Firstly, it was a chapel that was adjacent to the feudal castle during the 11th century. It became a collegiate church during the 12th century, was ruled by clerks and belonged to the diocese of Sens. The church became parochial during the 14th century. Sadly, it was damaged a lot and burnt by Englishmen, just like the whole city, during the Hundred Years War. Later, it was only rebuilt in 1485 in a Gothic style under the reign of Louis Malet de Graville, lord of Milly-la-Forêt. He was also very close to King Louis XI. He was also the one who managed to build the market hall and made numerous works onto the castle de la Bonde. In 1603, the chapel of Virgin Mary was built thanks to Renée d’Averton, the wife of a governor. The church was extended with the addition of a facade and an aisle. The vaults under the chapel were looted and the bones were spreaded during the French Revolution.

The lower part of the 57 meters high bell tower was built during the 11th century. The higher part is of Gothic style. Onto one of the facades, a litura funeris can be seen. On its East side, we can still see the coat-of-arms of the admiral de Graville. It can also be seen on the keystones of two choir’s spans representing three metal clasps with golden buckles. The coat-of-arms of the family Vendôme and of the marquise de Lau can also be seen in the church. The portal’s arch was once the portal of the old church of Saint-Pierre in Milly and could have been installed here in 1633. Also, a walled door is located on the North facade of the church. It was once a deads’ portal. Until the French Revolution, during the burial's masses, the coffin had to leave the church by another portal than the living.

The church has three bells. The oldest one is very big and called Marie-Jeanne-Marie and was blessed in 1703. The other bells are smaller and were installed during the 19th century. The old rooster that was at the top of the church was replaced a few years ago and had traces of the hectic past of the city. Indeed, the rooster had a bullet hole dating back from World War II.

The entry is made by the Western portal from the 19th century and is partly made of pieces from an old portal from the 12th century. During the 19th century, some important work was made such as the paving of the church. Inside the building, numerous masterpieces are classified. The remains of Saint Wulfram, a symbol for Milly, can be seen in a reliquary from 1841. Wulfram was the son of Fulbert, a close acquaintance of King of Franks, and was known for giving his belongings to the abbey of Saint-Wandrille de Fontenelle and also for having evangelized Friesland (in the Netherlands). Several tombstones were lost during the restoration of the nave but some others can still be seen from important persons. Some of those tombstones are 1,90 meter high. A modern representation of Christ on the cross can be seen and was made by the artist Chomo who gave it to the church back in 1991. The finely detailed lectern was made during the 17th century. The church was classified as part of the Monuments Historiques in 1926. A cavalry from the 15th century was also classified at the same time.

The church is dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary. This event is also called Dormition and celebrates her ascending into heaven for Orthodox and Catholics. Mary was the mother of Jesus and is the patron saint of mothers.

SOURCE: Mairie de Milly-la-Forêt, “Le Patrimoine Religieux de Milly-la-Forêt et de la Communauté de Communes des 2 Vallées” des Amis de Milly-en-Gâtinais et Environs, Parc Naturel Régional du Gâtinais Français