Our Lady of Rocquigny
rue du l'Abbaye 20
62450 Rocquigny
Church | 1935 | Art deco | Catholic Church
Map
Opening hours
01 June - 30 September
Mon 10.00 - 17.00
Tue 10.00 - 17.00
Wed 10.00 - 17.00
Thu 10.00 - 17.00
Fri 10.00 - 17.00
Sat 10.00 - 17.00
Sun 10.00 - 17.00
From 1 October to 31 May, by appointment at the Town Hall (03.21.07.09.31)
Guided tour
Religious offices
Description
The history of the current church in Rocquigny began in the aftermath of the First World War. The village, bombed during the Battle of the Hindenburg Line, was reduced to ruins in 1917. It was one of many devastated villages that needed to be rebuilt. To this end, the town joined the Cooperative Society for the Reconstruction of Churches in the Diocese of Arras and called upon an architect from Arras: Jean-Louis Sourdeau (1889-1976). In 1928, Sourdeau submitted a design featuring a central layout and a striking diagonal entrance that surprised the director of the cooperative society. The latter sought the opinion of architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier, who approved the entire project, for which Jean-Louis Sourdeau planned to combine brick with raw reinforced concrete.
Work began in February 1929, with the structural work carried out by the Hénin-Liétard-based company Broucke et Fils. In November 1932, the exterior of the church was completed, its distinctive feature being the openwork concrete bell tower positioned diagonally across the nave, at the foot of which is the main entrance to the building.
However, this reconstruction, which was completed rather hastily, has not aged well. In 1993, the municipality decided to close the building for safety reasons and began a campaign to save it. After being officially listed as a historic monument in 2001, undergoing interior renovation work and a complete reconstruction of the bell tower in 2012, the building once again stands proudly in the centre of the village, even more proud of its modernity!
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Photos
Remarkable elements
Rosettes
The two roses in the choir are the work of Gaudin et Compagnie, created in 1931-32 using the little-known glass slab technique, which consists of encircling the glass with cement joints. The first rose represents the Adoration of the Magi and the second the Crucifixion. The whole has been protected as a Historic Monument since 1996.
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The use of concrete
The 40 m-high tower is set in the south-east corner, forming a 45° angle with the square nave. The tower consists of a central openwork concrete column with a spiral staircase leading up to the bells.
The same process is used inside the nave (2), whose ceiling is covered by a grid and divided by four reinforced concrete openwork diaphragm walls.
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Entrance door
The position of this door, placed at a 45° angle to the nave, is unique in early 20th-century religious architecture. It would become the trademark of architect Jean-Louis Sourdeau, who would use it a few years later in his design for the Saint-Louis Church in Marseille. As for its significance, some see it as the beginning of an architectural revolution, while others see it as a link between two directions that are reconciled in peace.
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Furniture mosaics
The liturgical furnishings are part of a set made of Terce stone, installed and decorated by the Canler company in 1932. The high altar is decorated with a central mosaic depicting Christ with a halo and the Pilgrims of Emmaus. The side altars are decorated with mosaics bearing the initials ‘SJ’ for Saint Joseph and ‘AM’ for the Virgin Mary (Ave Maria). Among the other furnishings, the pulpit is decorated with a mosaic depicting Christ at the offering (bust of Christ).
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