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Origin and history

The Church of Saints-Fuscien-Victoric-et-Gentien of Sains-en-Amienois is a Catholic building located in the Somme, in Hauts-de-France. It was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries on the presumed location of the tomb of the three martyrs of the 3rd century: Fuscien, Victoric d-Amiens and Gentian. Consecrated on 11 April 1511, it included the words of the martyr saints and the Blessed Virgin. From the early church and the Romanesque era, no vestiges remain today.

In 1869 Father Messio, priest of Sains, conducted excavations revealing the foundations of two walls parallel to the present building. One, assigned to a temple dedicated to Hercules, and the other, located under the church, would correspond to the early church. The remains of two chapels were also discovered, including one with a sarcophagus. The abbot identified these structures as those of a 100-foot-long primitive church, with two annexes to the east, one of which housed the tomb of martyrs. To the west, a portal provided access.

The present church, built of stone with a brick facade, includes two vessels to facilitate the movement of pilgrims around the tomb. The choir, added in the 18th century, and modifications in the 19th century (window in the chapel of the Virgin, displacement of the south door) complete its architecture. The bell tower, covered with slates, ends in arrow. The building preserves Gallo-Roman and Merovingian objects, including a carved altar depicting Hercules and Mars, and a Merovingian funeral stele.

The tomb of the martyr saints, classified as a historical monument in 1862, dates from the end of the 12th or early 13th century. Its upper part, adorned with sculptures representing the three martyrs in lying and their execution, rests on six pillars. A contemporary baptismal tank and a statue of the 13th century Virgin and Child complete the furniture. The high altar, coming from the abbey of Selincourt (18th century), and a painting inspired by Raphael's Transfiguration (gift in 1819) enrich the interior.

After World War II, Gérard Ansart designed new windows replacing those destroyed in 1940. They illustrate the life, martyrdom and discovery of the relics of the three saints. These artistic and historical elements make the church a place of major memory and devotion in Picardia.

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