Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel of St.Elisabeth of Hungary, built in brick coated in the late 19th century, is part of the former Cazin-Perrochaud Hospital in Berck. Its Gothic architecture is distinguished by a unique five-span vessel, a flat bedside, and a bell tower. Lancet openings, broken arches, and faux arches of walled dogives reflect this style. The choir, in recess, houses a sanctuary surrounded by statues, including a Virgin of Mercy and Saint Francis of Assisi. The narthex, with three openings, leads to a stand decorated with statues related to the medical vocation of the establishment, like a young girl wearing a plaster corset, evoking the treatment of Pott's evil.

In 1892 the Franciscan sisters transformed the former Grand Hotel in Berck into a children's hospital, blessed in 1894 under the name Cazin-Perrochaud. The chapel was built in 1898 after the healing of the son of painter Albert Besnard, cared for there. In thanks, Besnard, his wife Charlotte (sculptress), their son Robert, and Francis Jourdain decorates the interior. Eight panels illustrate human misery and its regeneration through science and charity, accompanied by four paintings of saints running the sick. This decor combines religious symbols and humanistic values, accessible to all.

In 1892, the Maritime Hospital became the Cazin-Perrochaud Institute, run by the Franciscans until its subsequent destruction. Only the chapel remains, integrated into modern housing. His furniture was modified in the 1970s: the displaced statues, the replaced neo-Gothic high altar, and the walls of the choir dressed in wood. Albert Besnard's paintings, classified in 1975, and the chapel itself (protected facades and roofs in 2010) bear witness to this artistic and medical heritage.

The establishment owes its reputation to wealthy families, such as the Besnards, attracted by Berck's therapeutic reputation for sick children. The chapel, dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (patrimony of Franciscans), embodies the fusion of art, faith and medicine. Charlotte Besnard's marufflé canvases and plaster sculptures, although fragile, remain key elements of this place where science and spirituality respond.

Today, the chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a communal property, is the last vestige of the Cazin-Perrochaud Hospital. Its decoration, completed in 1901, illustrates a time when art served both devotion and hope for healing. The changes of the 1970s, though controversial, did not alter the essence of this unique place, classified for its history and exceptional artistic heritage.

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