Église Saint-Denys d'Arcueil, Gothic church in Arcueil, France.
Église Saint-Denys d'Arcueil is a church in Arcueil featuring a rectangular plan with nine bays and a central nave flanked by two side aisles. Cylindrical columns support the structure and display carved capitals decorated with animal figures and narrative scenes.
The church was built in two phases between 1220 and 1250, with the choir completed first in the initial stage. The nave and connected sections followed during the second building phase.
The carved capitals on the columns display scenes from religious stories, showing how medieval craftspeople told their tales through stone. These details were meant for visitors who could not read and needed to understand biblical narratives through images.
The church is located at 32 Rue Émile Raspail in Arcueil, close to the RER B Arcueil-Cachan train station, making it easy to reach by public transport. Visitors should plan their visit outside of service times to explore the building in peace.
The church served as an experimental prototype for architectural elements that were later used in the construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. This connection makes it a lesser-known link to the design history of one of France's most famous cathedrals.
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