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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Éloi d'Hautmont, located in the department of Nord (Hauts-de-France), was designed as part of a social planning programme financed by the Forges de la Providence to house workers in the metallurgical sector. It replaces an old chapel that has become too small and is part of the development of the working-class city of Bois-du-Quesnoy, which began in 1950. Swiss architect Denis Honegger, a student of Auguste Perret, develops several sketches between 1952 and 1958 before the construction of the site, which was carried out from 1958 to 1960. The building, which was listed as a historic monument in 2005, combines functionality and symbolism, with a rectangular plan and parish halls arranged in arches.

The chapel is distinguished by its thirteen stained glass windows, a pioneering technique for the period, representing episodes of the life of Saint Eloi, patron of the metallurgicalists. These works are the result of a collaboration between the painter Emilio Beretta (author of cartons) and master glassmaker Auguste Labouret, director of stained glass around 1959. The choice of Saint Eloi reflects the close link between the building and the local working community, while the sober reinforced concrete architecture and the apparent brick vault embody modernity adapted to parish and urban needs.

Integrated into the heart of the neighbourhood, the chapel forms a coherent whole with the workers' housing, structured around a semi-cylindrical square bordered by Avenue du Général-Leclerc. The bell tower, adjacent to the sacristy, marks the entrance to the place of worship, including the arched facade dialogue with the public space. Despite budgetary constraints limiting the quality of certain materials, the building enhances its artistic programme and social vocation, testifying to the urbanutopia of the Thirty Glories and industrial patronage.

The project is partly inspired by the church of Christ-Roi de Fribourg (Switzerland), with a trapezoidal volume opened in a back square, initially framed by two buildings. The chapel, owned by the Diocesan Association of Cambrai, remains a significant example of the functional religious architecture of the 20th century, mixing Perretian heritage and technical innovations, while serving as an identity landmark for the working-class city.

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