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T
he little village of Malay, through the Society of the Friends
of the Churches of MALAY, is sending out this appeal to all people of goodwill. Situadet in the heart of the "Romanesque garden" of France and of the vineyards of Southern Burgundy, Malay possesses two Romanesque churches that are officially listed as historic monuments: | |
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- OUGY church (which would benefit from interior restoration
in order to bring back its mural paintings to their original glory), and the beautiful Notre Dame church in Malay, unfortunately closed since 1993 for safety reasons, because the passing of the centuries is resulting in falls of loose rubble, problems with the roof vaulting, ect. |
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T
he earliest reference to the church of malay dates from 1095. In 1160 it
was one of the deaneries of the Abbey of Cluny, with a large estate.
Later, Our Lady of Malay bacame the main parish church, serving the villages
of Seugne and Ougy and, in the 17th century, Cortemblin. With its three naves and a transept, the present church is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. It was built in two stages. The choir, transept, apse and apsidial chapels dates from the end of the 11th century, when the abbot was Saint-Hugo. The powerful style of the exterior with its raised gables is also found in the interior. Note the spacious transept crossing and the plain semi-circular arches carrying the vast dome. The three naves were built in the middle (of the 12th century). The tower was probably completed at a later date. In the 13th century, Malay, like Saint-Hippolyte not far away, bacame a fortyress; part of the gatehouse remains. The west door was walled up at this time; the great window dates from the 15th century. The sacristy and the tower staircase were built in the 19th century , and the side doors were rebuilt. The tower was roofed with stone after a fire in 1931. The brick arcatures are 19th century. Note the early 16th century wall paintings in the north absidial chapel. |