Prieuré Saint-Saturnin

 France > Ile-de-France > Yvelines > Chevreuse

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Rue de l'Église in Chevreuse in the Yvelines department, at the beginning of the 20th century and today. The "Prieuré Saint-Saturnin" (on the right in the picture) was founded in the 10th century and is thus the oldest building in the village. During the French Revolution it was sold to a wine merchant and from then on used as a warehouse. This use continued until the 20th century and apparently also at the time the old photo was taken. Between the two World Wars, the Romanesque portal was dismantled stone by stone and sold. In the 1980s, the painter Jean Vénitien bought the building and used it as a studio. In 2008, the building, which was in danger of collapse, was restored and since 2011 has hosted temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. On the left is part of the 12th-century Saint-Martin church. The building in the center of the picture now houses a tourist office.