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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Gilles de Fréchencourt finds its origins at the end of the sixteenth century, with a first church in white stone and sandstone, covered with tiles. Measuring 17 meters long to 7 wide, it housed oak woodwork, a altarpiece and a round-bosse sculpture depicting the Passion of Christ, composed of golden statuettes. In 1792, the building was destroyed: furniture destroyed, statuettes scattered, and two bells removed. Curé Candelier, having been sworn in to the Constitution, then celebrated Mass in the chapel of Saint-Éloi of the cemetery.

In 1839, a flood of the Hallue seriously damaged the old church, making its repair too expensive. The decision was made to build a new building, dedicated to Saint Gilles, in a neo-Gothic style. Directed by architect Victor Delefortrie, the works were completed in 1863. The present-day church, in the shape of a Latin cross, was built entirely in bricks on stone foundations, with a vault of lime mortar and sand, culminating at 17 meters.

The church is distinguished by its 30 meters arrow, its rose of 1.50 meters in diameter, and a cross path in neo-plastic-wood offered by Empress Eugénie in 1863. A 600 kg bell, named Marie-Louise Amélie, was installed there in 1866. The paving, made of Mortemer stone, and the steps of the sanctuary, made of Chaussoy-Epagny stone, complete its remarkable architecture. The bell tower, integrated with the west facade, dominates a porch opening onto a stand overlooking the nave.

The former church, now extinct, occupied the site of the present communal school. His remains, such as the woodwork or statuettes of the Passion, were lost during the revolutionary destructions. Only the archives and historical descriptions bear witness to its original appearance, contrasting with the sober and slender style of the present building, a symbol of 19th-century religious reconstruction in Picardia.

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