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Origin and history

The Collège Notre-Dame de Nesle, built in the 11th century in Romanesque style, was founded by Hardouin de Croÿ in 1021 for a chapter of secular canons. This first building marked the religious importance of Nesle, then under feudal influence, and reflected the broadness of the local lords towards the Church.

In the 15th century, the church was restored thanks to Jeanne d'Amboise, Lady of Nesle, but suffered a tragic episode in 1472: during the siege of the city by the troops of Charles the Temerary, Duke of Burgundy, the population rebuked in the collegiate was massacred. The Duke, entering the building covered with corpses, allegedly threw a cynical sentence on the "beautiful butchery" committed by his soldiers. This event marked the history of Nesle, already weakened by the partial destruction of the city.

The collegiate church, partially rebuilt after 1472 with a bell tower moved for lack of means, was classified as a historical monument before being declassified after work. During World War I, in 1918, the Germans detonated the explosives stored in its crypt during their retreat, completely destroying the building. The Allies had just entered Nesle when the explosion occurred.

The current collegiate, built in 1930 by architect Gabriel Sibilot, takes over a traditional basilical plan with a nave to low side, a salient transept and a rounded apse choir. Inspired by the Romanesque style, the building incorporates a semi-entered sacristy evoking the ancient crypt. Damaged during World War II, it only reopened in the 1950s.

Today, the collegiate church houses surviving heritage elements, such as tombstones classified in 1993 and a 16th century statue of Saint Peter, in oak, classified in 2004. This statue, probably used for processions, represents the apostle sitting in pontifical clothing, although partially damaged.

Historical sources, such as the works of Abbé Paul Decagny (1844) or Camille Enlart (1923-1931), document its architectural evolution and its central role in the religious and social life of Nesle, from the Middle Ages to its modern reconstruction.

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