Claville-Motteville

In the village of Claville-Motteville, St Mary’s church holds a rich history shaped by the devotion of its parish priests and the chiming of its bells.

This story begins with Father François Duquesnay. Appointed in 1742 in his early thirties, he transformed the site: he brought in the architect Dieulois to embellish the building, restored the churchyard walls and the vestry, and catalogued nineteen endowment deeds. In 1767, he blessed the church bell, named "Catherine" by Michel de Monfiquet and Lady Catherine de Motteville. After fifty years of priesthood celebrated with great ceremony, the French Revolution upended his ministry. Although he took the constitutional oath in January 1791 while reaffirming his Catholic faith, two of the bells were confiscated and the church was closed. Confined to his vicarage, Father Duquesnay died of grief on 7 April 1794 at the age of 85. He was buried secretly at night behind the Lady Chapel, leaving nothing behind for his disappointed heirs.

In the 19th century, the parish found a new lease of life under several key figures. Taking up his post in February 1872 after serving in Argueil and Morville, Father Jules Cellier spent just two years in Claville-Motteville, yet left a lasting mark. He introduced new statues, set up a parish library, brought in an exquisite 13th-century baptismal font from Gouville—singled out by the antiquarian Abbé Cochet—and penned a valuable manuscript chronicling the local parish annals.

A few years later, in November 1875, Pierre-Delphin Caron took over the parish. During his tenure, on 18 June 1876, the old bell "Catherine"—the sole survivor from 1767—was recast and enlarged to 900 kilograms by the Cartenet foundry, before being solemnly blessed with the financial backing of local notables.

Cracked in 1944 after ringing out incessantly for the Liberation, the bell eventually had to be replaced. On 1 March 1953, Father Tocqueville welcomed a large crowd under a marquee, gathered alongside Bishop Lemonnier for the dedication of the new bell, christened "Aline-Eugénie". Opposite the main doorway, a stained-glass window donated by the mayor and godfather, Mr Depresle, still commemorates the spirit of that day.