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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The abbey of Auchy came into being in 710, when Adalscar, Count of Hesdin, his wife Aneglia and their daughter Sicherdre founded it to honor Saint-Sylvain of Toulouse (or Sylvin), former courtian of Thierry III who became bishop. After pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome, he evangelized the region of Thérouanne (Pas-de-Calais) before being buried there in 718. The monastery, originally destroyed by the Normans, was rebuilt in 1072 by the Counts of Hesdin, then entrusted in 1077 to the Benedictines of Saint Bertin Abbey. The first known charter, dated 1079, is often mistakenly confused with the act of foundation.

In the 13th century, the abbey prospered under the protection of Robert II of Artois (from 1269). A partial collapse in 1280 left remains of the early church, including the piles of the nave (mid-12th century) and the choir (circa 1200). The site became a notable burial place after the Battle of Azincourt (1415), welcoming knights killed in combat, such as Admiral Jacques Dampierre de Châtillon. The war forced the monks to flee between 1435 and 1457, during which time the abbey remained deserted.

The 16th and 17th centuries marked an era of destruction and reconstruction: burned in 1537, the abbey was restored in the early 17th century, but its vaults, collapsed, were rebuilt in 1616 at a lower level. After the Revolution, the buildings were converted into cotton spinning (from 1804) by Jean-Baptiste Say, in partnership with the Parisian financiers Grivel and Delessert. A fire in 1834 destroyed a large part of the structures, saving only the abbey, now classified.

The abbey church, dedicated to Saint Sylvain and then to Saint George, has an eclectic façade: a 13th century portal, a neo-Gothic window, and a classical pediment added around 1840, all framed by polygonal turrets with dardian roofs. Inside, the nave has seven spans covered with rebuilt vaults, while the apse retains traces of successive modifications. The site, owned by the commune since the 19th century, bears witness to nearly 13 centuries of history, between spirituality, conflicts and industrial revolution.

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