. A magnificent example of Romanesque architecture, the Abbatiale de la Trinite in Lessay (Manche) was founded in 1056 by a Norman baron, Thurstin Haldup. A certificate of 1080, confirming the foundation and ownership, constitutes the first reference to this Benedictine abbey, built probably at the turn of the century. The church features the first known occurrence of cross-ribbed vaulting in France. Whether this type of vaulting developed in France at this time or was imported from England, after the style of the cathedral of Durham (1093), has been a matter of debate.
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. “Eglise abbatiale de Lessay.” Congres archeologique (Contentin et Avranchin) 124 (1966):70-82.
Musset, Lucien. Normandie romane. 2 vols. La Pierre-qui-vire: Zodiaque, 1967.
Taralon, Jean, and Pierre Heliot. Notice in Bulletin de la Soclete des Antlqualres de la France (1959).
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