Varengeville-sur-Mer, in the French department of the Seine-Maritime department, was once a frequent haunt for Impressionists, especially by the artist Claud Monet, who left behind paintings depicting the beautiful coastal landscape of Valentierville. However, coastal erosion in Normandy is endangering the cliffs of Valentes-sur-Mer, which means that the nearly thousand-year-old churches that stand on the cliffs may disappear into the sea.
The Church of Saint-Valéry captured by Monet in a series of works, including the Church of Valère in the Morning Light (1882). The church is in danger of falling into the sea.
Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, is a unique rock with a spectacular medieval monastery made up of pale granite, which is why this steep tidal island has never been washed away by the sea. But, like England on the north side of the English Channel, mainland France has long been affected by coastal erosion, with land loss.
In recent months, the French media has repeatedly highlighted the plight of the Normandy cliffs, particularly Varengeville-sur-Mer in the Seine-Maritime department. There is a church standing on a cliff there, facing the threat of disappearing into the sea.
Saint-Valéry church standing on a cliff
In Valentier-sur-Mer, the most famous building is the Church of Saint-Valéry, built on a cliff 80 metres above the sea, with a special sense of solemnity and tranquility. It was once a frequent haunt for Impressionists, some of whom kept the church in their paintings forever, bathed in soft colors and light. No wonder thousands of tourists come every year to visit the village and its Saint-Valery church.
Seaside cliffs and churches appear in Monet's paintings
Black's resting place
However, cliffs in places like Varengeville-sur-Mer-Mer-Mer and nearby Dieppe are powerless against the impact of the seawater; they lack the granite fortifications of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Church stained glass windows designed by George Braque in 1961
Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Corot were all drawn to Varengeville, where the Cubist artist Georges Braque eventually settled, where he was buried in a cemetery not far from the church since 1963. It was Braque, at the suggestion of andré Malraux, the French minister of culture at the time, who designed the exquisite stained-glass windows in the church depicting the Jesse tree in the Saint-Valéry choir.
The current architecture of the church dates back to the 11th century and combines Romanesque style with later architectural elements. However, for record, the cliffs at the time were half a mile inland and are now surrounded by seawater. As a local councillor pointed out, the church is only 10 metres away from the nearby vertical cliffs. The cliff is said to have retreated an average of 40 meters from the untamable sea – up to one meter a year.
Monet depicts The Valangesville at low tide
The cliffs of the Seine-Maritime department are 100 metres high and consist mainly of chalky, with sand and clay in the upper part, which are vulnerable to coastal erosion. This process is caused by sea level rise caused by storms, winds, strong waves and global warming. In Dieppe, for example, a total of 20,000 cubic meters of cliffs disappeared in 2012.
A bleak future hangs over the entire coastal region of the province, endangering 46 cities with 300,000 inhabitants. Geologists estimate that within 20 years, seine-sur-Mer will lose 230 hectares of coastal land. If there is a gap somewhere, the sea will inexorably erode the land behind it. But how did Claude Monet realize these dangers? In his 1882 painting L Eglise de Varengeville (Effet Matinale) in the Morning Light, the church stands on a steep coastal rock, not far from the abyss of the cliff.
The cliffs of Valanges-sur-Mer
Save St. Valery
France has long tried various methods to combat coastal erosion. But there is no turning point for the cliffs of seine-sur-Mer. Here, Varengeville-sur-Mer bears the brunt, and the customs huts, once repeatedly depicted by Monet like st. Valery's church, have disappeared, built during Napoleon's blockade of Europe, where Monet once lived.
Since the turn of the century, saint-Valéry's architecture has received a number of renovations to the walls, foundations, roofs and beams. Previously, one could even see the interior of the church through cracks in the side walls. These improvements cost 1.5 million euros, of which 46% came from the state and 25% from the seine. The Church of Saint-Valéry is, on the one hand, a place of worship and, on the other hand, has been classified as a historical monument since 1924 and is part of the national cultural heritage of France. The level of the church has been changing due to coastal erosion, and it is thought that "it will eventually slide into the abyss, or even collapse piece by piece and fall into the sea." ”
To avoid the inevitable catastrophe, expensive budgetary interventions are needed; the Valangville community has been receiving donations after a public appeal five years ago. But how can St. Valery be saved? One solution would be to tear down the church into separate parts and rebuild it somewhere inland. Another radical option has precedent in the United States, but is expensive: the church will be relocated in its entirety to a track or cart and transported to a new site for restoration. But can the already precarious ground beneath churches and cemeteries withstand the weight of the required machinery? The feasibility study alone (which must also include new sites) would cost between €400,000 and €600,000, a tiny fraction of the budget.
Monet depicts the beautiful coastal views of Valentesville
Monet's immortal legacy
If St. Valery's Church falls prey to coastal erosion, the Valangeville Cemetery will also disappear into the sea, as will the graves of Georges Braque and his wife.
Mona depicts the cottage in Valangesville
Monet Church of Valangerville
If disaster is unavoidable, the panorama of Valangeville will forever remain in the paintings of the Impressionist painters. One of Monet's paintings depicting the Church of Valangerville was sold at Christie's in London for a high price. Monet is said to have seen the church for the first time when he stumbled upon it while walking by the sea. He was going to paint four versions of the same painting. It's no far from Etretta, monet's more famous elephant trunk mountain series.
(This article is compiled from The art newspaper and other related reports, the picture is added by the editor)