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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Julien de Caen is a Christian place of worship built in the 1950s by architect Henry Bernard, to replace the former church Saint-Julien, destroyed in 1944 during the bombings. This project is part of Caen's reconstruction plan after World War II. Unlike the original location, in 1949 the authorities chose a new site on the heights near the plant garden, near the developing university campus. Henry Bernard, already responsible for this area, is responsible for designing the building.

Plans were finalized in November 1952 and work began in September 1954, although temporarily interrupted by funding difficulties. The church was consecrated on 30 September 1959, but the finishings were only completed in April 1963. In 1983, work was needed to stabilize the concrete, which was damaged by its poor quality: an epoxy resin was injected into the structure. Today, the church belongs to the parish of Saint Thomas of the University, covering several districts of Caen.

The architecture of Saint-Julien illustrates the principles of the liturgical movement, born in the mid-19th century, which aims to place the faithful at the heart of the celebration. Henry Bernard, influenced by his reflections during his captivity in Germany, adopted an elliptical plan to bring the priest closer to the assembly. This architectural bias, rare in France before Vatican II, makes Saint-Julien an early example of an "active" church, where the altar becomes a place of gathering without obstacles for light or sound.

The stained glass windows on the side walls, made between 1956 and 1958 by painter Jean Edelmann, are composed of coloured glass pavements evoking medieval stained glass windows. Their design integrates with the desire for modernity of the building. Classified as a 20th century heritage by the Ministry of Culture, the church was first listed in the additional inventory of historical monuments on 29 March 2005, and then classified in full (with its presbytery and gallery) on 27 June 2007.

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