The church of Saint-Symphorien-Le-Château
he first mentions of the parish of Saint-Symphorien date back to the 13th century. The Abbé de Bonneval appointed the parish priest. Through successive campaigns of work, this building was given a nave in the 13th century, a choir in the 15th century and a chapel in the 16th century. The appearance of this monument in 1852 is known to us from a "Summary Description" - accompanied by a plan and an elevation - drawn up by the architect voyer of the department. From 1873 to 1874, the church was profoundly redesigned by the architect Henri Parent, thanks to the donations of Sosthène de La Rochefoucauld, Duke of Bisaccia, and his wife, owners of the castle of Esclimont located in the town. The architectural characteristics of this building reflect the pronounced taste of that time for the pastiche. Its plan includes a nave of three bays, extended by a choir also of three bays and a three-sided apse. The church is flanked to the north by a tower and to the south by a side aisle, the end of which is occupied by a chapel of the Virgin. A sacristy rests on the south wall of the aisle. It is probably an old stately chapel, because the lower surface of the door is adorned with Renaissance decor. Outside, the part of the choir is much higher than the nave. All of the roofs are slate. The three-storey bell tower enriched with sculptures in the "troubadour" style is also a creation of Parent, as well as the portal of the west facade and that of the south facade decorated with the alliance coat of arms La Rochefoucauld and Ligne. During the work of the 19th century, the old paneled vault with its visible frames "carved with caissons, human figures and crocodiles" which covered the central nave was replaced by a dummy vault, in Renaissance imitation. On the other hand, the two stone pillars supporting the three large arches separating the nave and the aisle have been preserved. The choir, the aisle and the Chapel of the Virgin have also retained their groin vaults, with freestone ribs. During the church's restoration campaign in 1874, the vault of the nave, the entire choir and the chapel of the Virgin were adorned with blue-ground paintings with neo-Gothic-inspired motifs. In 1971, the post-conciliar arrangements sacrificed a large part of this wall decoration with particularly bright colors. Today, only the paintings of the Chapel of the Virgin and some keystones of the nave remain. The stained glass windows in the choir also date from the restoration of the church. With the exception of the one in the center, illustrating the martyrdom of Saint Symphorian, all the others represent the successive lords of Esclimont with the attributes of their patron saint and their coat of arms. A few interesting works are still preserved in the church, such as a copper reliquary of Saint Symphorian, a 15th century alabaster bas-relief. depicting the Entry of Christ into Jerusalem and a 16th century white marble Pieta. Finally, there are a few tumular slabs of former parish priests in the 17th and 18th centuries. For the repair of the masonry, the repair of the frame and the roofing of the south aisle, the French Art Safeguard awarded a subsidy of 100,000 F in 1999.