Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin de Forest-Montiers stands in the west of the Somme department, on the edge of the forest of Crécy. This religious monument, built in bricks, bellows and flint, bears witness to a hybrid architecture typical of the region. Its history is closely linked to the local abbey, of which it was once a dependency, thus reflecting the importance of monastic heritage in this area.

The current structure incorporates a 16th century watch tower, which supports the bell tower equipped with a clock. The bell, named Jeanne Laure and founded in 1808, illustrates the evolution of the building throughout the centuries. Inside, the 18th-century coffered ceiling and the 1777 high altar, carved by F. D. Mouret d'Hesdin, attract attention. The latter, originally from a convent of the Black Sisters near Vieil-Hesdin, was acquired during the French Revolution and offers a rare characteristic: a rotating tabernacle, classified as a historical monument in 1912.

The church also houses furniture and statues from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, protected since the 1980s. These elements, combined with its architecture, make it a privileged witness to the religious and artistic history of Picardia, between medieval heritage and modern transformations.

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