In the small town of Louppy Sur Loison in the Lorraine Region in the North of France, (Merovingian Homeland) there is a small old Church called Chapelle de Madeleine. 

In this Church we find a remarkable statue of Mary Magdalene holding Jesus in her arms after the crucifiction. The body of Jesus shows no signs of wounds on his hands or feets and his fingers are in a particular way sculpted; meaning I am fine and made it. The origin of these gestures goes back to ancient times. 

The statue of Mary Magdalene holding Jesus is placed on a base where we can clearly see Merovingian bees! 

In another scene in the Church we see Jesus on the Cross with on both sides the 12 Apostles and his Mother Mary and Father Joseph below him on each side, with Mary Magdalene supporting Jesus while he is crucified.

As far as we know, there is not another Catholic Church in the world with such a clear statement regarding the position of Mary Magdalene in the whole biblical Jesus story.

Historical Description

The first ancient traces of the village

The first archaeological traces of the village of Louppy sur Loison date from the Gallo-Roman period. In 1889, a farmer unearthed an ossarium in stone, containing a cremation burial, including several Gallo-Belgian ceramics and a small bronze vase. This discovery attests to the presence of a High Empire necropolis. This necropolis was near a secondary Gallo-Roman road crossing the territory of the commune. A little further, near this same road, traces of a Gallo-Roman tile factory were recently discovered, attested by the presence of remains of oven elements and a large deposit of tiles, called Tegulae. We also collected many Roman coins dating from the 1st to the 4thth century, now kept at the Musée de la Princerie in Verdun and in a private collection.

On the death of the Count of Bar, Thibaut I, in 1214, two towers were built in Louppy corresponding to two castles installed at each end of the promontory, dominating the Loison valley. It is for this reason that the village subsequently took the name of Louppy-aux-deux-châteaux. 

In the heart of the village, near the church, the imposing remains of a tower and a curtain wall are still visible. Originally, the castle (commonly known as the high castle) appeared in the form of a quadrilateral with four corner towers and once had deep moats fed by the nearby Loison. In addition to the defensive character of the building, its residential function seems certain, given the presence of a fireplace and benches under the windows. 

These remains probably date from the 13th or 14th century, but the first mention of a castle is attested at the end of the 12th century  as the property of the Count of Bar Thibaut. Subsequently the lordship of Louppy was shared between different families until the arrival of the Pouilly family in the 16th century. During the Hundred Years War, in 1379, the castle suffered partial destruction.

Church of the Madeleine

One of them is located outside the village. Adam de Menthon, canon of the Sainte Madeleine de Verdun collegiate church, founded the Madeleine church in the 12th century outside the ramparts. Several hypotheses explain this particular location away from the village, in particular that of a hermitage as evidenced by a fountain, called the hermitage, located nearby. The nave dates back to the 11th century  as evidenced by the Romanesque openings and was later extended by a new rib-vaulted choir in the 16th century  . The particularity of this church is essentially due to the altarpiece dating from the end of the 15th century . century, one of the finest known examples in the region. 

In 1840, at the request of Count Charles Gédéon Théodore de Vassinhac, a funerary chapel opened onto the choir was set up to bury the members of their family there. It is entirely decorated with frescoes representing the Resurrection and the various apostles. We find the founder of the chapel there in the habit of a peer of France, as well as all the coats of arms of the lords of Louppy, from the origin until the Revolution.

There is a second church in Louppy, currently Saint Martin Church, whose origin is probably explained by the presence of a castle chapel attached to the old “high castle” in medieval times. The few archives from the 19th century indicate a rectangular building in the Romanesque style, which was deeply modified in the 17th and 18th centuries. This church stood on the site of the current village square. It was later replaced by the current church.

Louppy’s Golden Age

The arrival of the Renaissance in Louppy is announced with the installation of the Pouilly family in the stronghold of the village. Indeed, at the end of the 15th century, Colard de Pouilly arrived in Louppy and this family ended up uniting the whole of the Seigniory at the beginning of the 17th century. She then decided to rebuild the “low castle” in a monumental style reflecting the importance of the Pouilly family at that time.

The “high castle”, currently in ruins, regularly served during the conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries as a place of accommodation for troops and a warehouse for equipment. It will also serve as a refuge for the troops of “Lorrainers” who took refuge in this old castle during the summer of 1637 to face the troops of King Louis XIII. Louppy was taken in a few days by the Sieur de Bellefond from July 21 to 25, 1637. Following this event, the “high castle” was ruined by order of the King of France.

The chapel of Sainte-Madeleine was founded around 1150, dated by historical works, by Adam de Menthon, it was formerly Louppy’s mother church, it was outside the fortress. 

The village, situated on a loop of the Loison river, not far from Montmédy, is usually known for its imposing 17th century castle: it is also home to a small church, built in the middle of the cemetery, on a mound facing the old medieval castle.

Thanks to a municipality concerned about its artistic heritage and the dynamism of a local priest who loves the things of the past, this church, in barely three years, has regained a brilliance and a beauty worthy of the furniture it contains.

In September 1991, an article published in Connaissance de la Meuse announced the beginning of the restoration and presented the main works preserved in the church. For those who have not had the opportunity to read these few lines, or better still, to visit the monument, we recall the essential elements.

The church is almost rectangular in plan (the Imecourt funeral chapel, placed to the left of the chancel, forms an overhang to the outside), and its architecture is very simple: the nave, with its very thick walls, is pierced by small round-headed windows and opens with a large arch of the same shape, leaving space on each side for a side altar.

The construction of the first church seems to date back to the 12th century and would be due to Adam de Menthon, canon of the collegiate church of Sainte-Magdeleine in Verdun and archdeacon of the Woëvre. The present building was built in the 15th-16th centuries, preserving part of the old building and adding or transforming a roof in accordance with the style of the time: cross-arches and windows with triskeles (flamboyant Gothic art). The Imecourt funeral chapel, built on the left side in the 19th century, also contains a beautiful 15th century oculus, which has been reused.

Little is known about this church from a historical point of view. Perhaps it served as a chapel for a hermit living nearby, but there is not enough evidence to support this. The church has not been used for services for a long time. It is used as a burial chapel.

On either side of the crucifixion stand the apostles. Twelve in number, surrounding Christ, it is not difficult to recognise them. However, if we want to put a name =on each head=, difficulties appear. We recognise Paul with his sword. Peter with his key, Matthew with his square, maybe Bartholomew with his knife… And the others? What instruments do they carry and why? It has not always been easy to find an answer and, for some of them, a doubt remains.

The Louppy-sur-Loison altarpiece, probably sculpted in the 15th century, is, in our opinion, a remarkable and unique work due to the mastery of the sculptor who was able to reconcile the perfection of the decorative motifs and the expression of the characters. Its state of preservation is also remarkable, which is quite rare for altarpieces with the twelve apostles: all the figures are intact, the =stone toothpaste= of the lower friezes, although fragile, is practically intact, and the colours, which are quite strong without being garish, bring variety and unity to this work.

The Statuary

A rich collection of statuary adorns the church. Here is a brief description.

Saint Martin

In a niche, on the left side of the nave, there is a sculpture of Saint Martin, probably from the 15th or early 17th century. It represents the famous episode where the saint, riding his horse, turns around to cut off half of his cloak that a bearded, half-naked beggar, leaning on a stick, has already put on.

The Pieta

Near St Martin’s, on the left side altar, is a 16th century sculpted stone Pieta: Mary receiving Jesus at the descent from the cross. It would be interesting to compare this work with others, very similar in composition and workmanship: that of Spada, in Meuse, or that of Pont-Saint-Vincent in Meurthe-et-Moselle, where only the orientation of the body of Christ differs. In Louppy, the work stands out for its original detail: the Virgin is seated on bones, among which a tibia and a skull appear clearly near the left knee of Christ.

The Other Statues

Other statues, of a more popular style, are placed on brackets against the walls of the nave: Saint Barbara and her tower (17th-18th century), a holy woman (17th century), a Holy Bishop with a broken crozier (18th century), as well as a group of Saint Anne teaching Mary to read, dominating the side altar, and probably dating from the first half of the 18th century.

The bell

Having served as a holy water font, a bell dated 1722 was placed on a stone base. Made of cast iron, its inscription specifies that it was given by the abbot of Orval, Dom Henrion (1668-1729).

The restoration of the church and its layout

After the summer of 1991, when visitors were able to discover and appreciate the church, and until the end of 1992, restoration work was undertaken, mainly by a young man from the commune, employed part-time by the town hall. He put his courage, his skill and his heart into the work, carrying out a careful and high quality job. 

The walls, covered with plaster, were very damaged in some places. They were completely exposed, revealing the stones, which were repointed with a plaster of the same colour. This renovation has dramatically enhanced the windows and the round arch of the Romanesque edifice. The ceiling, also made of plaster, with holes in many places, was replaced by a beautiful wooden ceiling which brings a certain warmth to the building. The work continued in the choir of the church. The vault, which was covered with dark, colourful and dirty paintings, was repainted in white. The walls, too, were stripped and their exposed stones matched those of the nave. The pews of the church, made of solid oak, have been refurbished.

The interior of the building has been given a certain nobility while retaining its original simplicity.

The church furnishings have also been supplemented with a few items: 

A sarcophagus cover, previously hidden by a step, was discovered in front of the right side altar. Once the stone had been lifted and raised, the earth was probed, but only a few scattered bones were found. It seems that it was.

The altarpiece

The most important work preserved in the building is the altarpiece with the twelve apostles. Placed in the choir, slightly off-centre to the left, it was sculpted in one piece, in a stone one metre high and two metres long, surmounted by a smaller one which extends the central scene of the crucifixion in height. The figures are framed from top to bottom by a real stone lace, inspired in its motifs by the radiant and flamboyant Gothic art: Christ on the cross surrounded by Mary, John and a third figure. Mary Magdalene, kneeling at the foot of the cross. The sculpture is very expressive, expressing the deep sorrow of Mary and John, and the more externalized pain of Mary Magdalene. The feelings are expressed with great sobriety, delicacy and a certain candour that is typical of folk art.

This was a re-use. Decorated with a chalice and a coat of arms, and perhaps a crosier, this lid is now displayed against the north wall of the church.

A few metres away is a wooden Christ, probably from the 17th century, which used to stand outside on a cavalry at the intersection of the road to the cemetery and the cell of Iré-le-Sec. Once it was protected from the elements and restored with great care, it found its place in the church on a large oak cross carved for it and situated opposite the entrance door.

On the back wall there is now a stone console with a carved animal, half fish, half bird, and a grotesque head. It was previously in the choir, behind the altarpiece, and probably dates from the time of the construction of the first church (12th century).

Finally, a stone baptismal font, probably from the Romanesque period, with a circular shape, has recently returned to its native village, so to speak. In 1940, when war broke out, many works of art from the churches of the Meuse were gathered together in the village of Mognéville, in the south of the department, to ensure their protection. Thus, in Louppy, the Pietà, the Saint Martin left their home, while the altarpiece, which was too large, was protected by sandbags. However, the inhabitants of the village had taken the precaution of inscribing the name of the village to which the objects belonged under the base. For if the Pius and Saint Martin returned to Louppy after the war, the vat remained in Mogneville. And as time passed, it was forgotten. The restoration of the chapel shook off the dust of time and when the Pietà had to be moved to repair the wall in front of which it stood, the name; Louppy-sur-Loison, appeared on its base. If the Pietà bears this inscription, the baptismal curve also has it. Indeed, following an examination on the spot, it was possible to establish that the basin did indeed come from Louppy. After some negotiations between the two communes, and the support of the bishopric of Verdun, the vat was finally returned to its place of origin. It completes the furnishings of a building that will perhaps one day serve as a parish church, the village church being very large and difficult to heat.