Manheulles, Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
This church was completely rebuilt at the end of the 1920s by the architect Auguste Mancel (1868-1937). The decoration in the choir and on the triumphal arch and some of the furniture are the work of Duilio Donzelli.
The latter created the high altar, which was probably commissioned by the parish priest and was sculpted in 1933, as indicated by the date accompanying the signature. The neo-Romanesque altar is decorated with a Mystic Lamb holding a banner and lying on a book with seven seals. The animal is inside a circle from which emerge four arms that form a Greek cross decorated with rays. In the corners, the symbols of the Evangelists make up the Tetramorph.
In 1934, the commune asked the same artist to decorate the choir and the triumphal arch for 6,000 francs. While a Christ on the cross is painted at the top of the triumphal arch, the apse features a huge composition on the theme of the Coronation of the Virgin in accordance with the church’s dedication to Our Lady of the Assumption. In the centre, God the Father and Christ, sitting down, are both holding the crown that they are preparing to place on the head of the Virgin who kneels between them. The dove of the Holy Spirit looks down on them. As often happens in Donzelli’s depictions, God the Father takes the appearance of a pope, while Christ has the attributes of royalty. The chosen representation is reminiscent of the composition of a bronze bas-relief in the Our Lady of the Hermits chapel at the monastery of Einsiedeln (Switzerland). The use of this model is probably due to the particular devotion in this village to the Black Madonna who is venerated in the Swiss sanctuary to which pilgrims from Lorraine have travelled* for several centuries. The attitude of the Virgin, whose hands are raised and open, may also be seen on the tympanum sculpted by Donzelli at the entrance to the church. The sixteen musician angels on either side of this Coronation are similar to those of Apremont-la-Forêt and Maizey.
In 1936, Donzelli created the communion table decorated with motifs featuring ears of wheat and bunches of grapes, symbols of the Eucharist. The whole constitutes a relatively homogeneous and original ensemble in this building.
* See M.-F. Jacobs, “Les Lorrains, pèlerins et dévots de la Vierge noire d’Einsiedeln”, Le Pays lorrain, no. 3, July-September 1990, p. 193-211.
Book with seven seals: iconographic theme originating from the Revelation of St John which refers to the vision in which a lamb opens the seals in succession.
Communion table: item separating the nave and the choir. Members of the congregation present themselves in front of it, usually on their knees, while the priest gives them the host.
Coronation of the Virgin: this refers to an apocryphal story which describes Mary being crowned in heaven by Christ, God the Father or the Trinity.
Mystic Lamb: symbol of Christ that recalls Christ’s sacrifice and the words of John the Baptist: “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Tetramorph: a representation of the four evangelists in their allegorical form (man for Matthew, an eagle for John, a bull for Luke and a lion for Mark) which is inspired by Ezekiel’s vision (Ez 1:1-14) and the description of the four living beings of the Revelation