Eglise Saint-Martin de Langres

Attested as early as the 11th century, the priory of Saint-Martin was established outside the city walls. It was at the origin of a district that was integrated into the city walls in the mid-14th century. The current building is the result of several construction campaigns, from the 13th to the 18th century. The choir and most of the nave bays date from the first period. The late medieval keystone in the central bay dates from this period. A fire in 1725 provided an opportunity to transform the building, with the aisles doubled in keeping with the original Gothic style. The façade, completed in 1745, was the work of Claude Forgeot, an architect from Langon. The façade is sober and symmetrical, with the emphasis on the portal frame, decorated with an Ionic order and topped by an arched pediment. The single bell tower does not follow this symmetrical design: did Forgeot have a counterpart in mind? At 52 metres high, it has four distinct levels. The first respects the sobriety of the façade; the second is blind and flanked by pilasters with Corinthian capitals; the third, pierced by bays fitted with lampshades, features pilasters with composite capitals. The whole is topped by a campanile lavishly decorated with fire pots and pilasters whose bases are transformed into fins. Such abundance gives this monument the region's most delightful Italian touch.