Saint Aubin

Ranoldus obituary plaque

Visible on the east side of the tower, at the corner of the choir, this memorial plaque in Latin, written in Carolingian typography, reads as follows: ‘On the 7th of February, Ranoldus died. He was born of the race of the Franks. May his soul rest in peace. Am(en). He made this church.’

At the time, this type of inscription marked the anniversary of the death of an important person, so that they would be prayed for, even if they were buried elsewhere. These plaques are very rare in Normandy.

Polychrome statuettes

At the entrance to the church, two polychrome stone statues from the 16th century are on display:

- the first depicts Saint Martin dressed in 16th-century fashion, on horseback, sword in hand. The features of the faces, the horse and the clothes are very well done.

- The second depicts a Holy Trinity or Throne of Glory. The Father, wearing a tiara, is seated on a throne adorned with fleur-de-lys, holding the crucified Christ, with the dove of the Holy Spirit under his beard.

The miracle of Saint Aubin’ painting

This painting, formerly on the high altar, dates from the late 17th century. It depicts Saint Aubin as a bishop surrounded by other figures, raising a dead child from the dead in the arms of a woman surrounded by grieving women. Rather than a scene depicting a miracle by Saint Aubin, it is more likely to be a ‘respite’ scene: the belief that a stillborn child could be briefly brought back to life in order to be baptised. 

But what makes this painting exceptional is the repainting carried out at the advent of the first republic (1792-1804), when republican symbols were added: a tricolour flag, a sans-culottes pike and a lictor beam in the background separating the scene in two. In the lower right-hand corner, a small figure dressed as a soldier fires a cannon, probably the signature of the person who repainted the scene. 

The high altar and side altarpieces

These masterpieces of carved wood date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

- Altarpiece in the choir: When the painting was dismantled, Sulpician-style paintings, probably dating from the early 20th century, were rediscovered. They read: ‘Voici ce cœur qui a tant aimé les hommes’ (‘Here is the heart that so loved mankind’). On either side, two cartouches depict Saint John Eudes, founder of the Eudists and the seminary in Caen, and Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

- North side altarpiece (left): This depicts the Return from Egypt of the Holy Family, based on a painting by Gerard Seghers inspired by Rubens. Mary appears to be pregnant, an unusual detail for this scene, which dates from the late 17th century.

- South side altarpiece (right): Depicts the Charity of Saint Martin, sharing his cloak with a beggar from his horse.

The funeral litre

Traces of the funeral tablet of the last lord of Vieux-Pont can still be seen in the north-west corner of the nave. Under the Ancien Régime, a band bearing the deceased lord's coat of arms was painted black as a sign of mourning.

Here, a shield adorned with two unicorns and a baron's crown contains three canes and three flowers, as defined in heraldry: ‘Azure, a chevron Argent between three canes in base, fess Argent, on a chief three roses Argent’.

These arms belong to the Dunot family, present in Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives since the 15th century, and owners of the barony of Vieux-Pont in the 18th century (Saint-Maclou branch).

Graffiti

Curious graffiti decorate several of the church's stones, both inside and out. In particular, there are several engravings of deer and, to the north, at the corner of the nave and the choir, a curious quadruped with the head of a snake swallowing its tail.