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Origin and history

The Millenium Church, officially called St. Elizabeth's Church, is a Catholic building located in Lens (Pas-de-Calais), built to meet the spiritual needs of the Polish community after the First World War. Initially, a wooden chapel dedicated to St.Elisabeth, erected by the Lens Mining Company near pit 1, served as a place of worship for Polish miners as early as 1923. This chapel, which became unsanitary, was destroyed in 1965 to give way to a modern church, financed by the Poles under the impulse of Abbés Czajka and Lewicki, as well as the newspaper Narodowiec.

The present church, inaugurated between 1966 and 1967, is the joint work of Polish architects Andrzej Kulesza and French architect Jacques Durand. Its bold design, marked by two inverted brick and glass triangles, symbolizes a fusion between tradition and modernity. In 1992, it was renamed the Millennium Church to celebrate the 1,000 years of Poland's baptism, strengthening its role as a living memory for the Polish diaspora. Classified in the General Inventory and labeled "Twentieth Century Heritage", it houses commemorative elements, such as a plaque for Katyn's victims (1980) and a stele in tribute to Lech Wałęsa (1982).

The building is distinguished by its avant-garde architecture, combining bricks, metal frame and glass windows signed by the Blachet workshop. Inside, a monumental Christ dominates the altar, while the walls and ceiling, covered with wood, create a warm atmosphere. The Masses, celebrated in French and Polish, perpetuate the dual cultural identity of the place. The church, registered as a historical monument since 2015, remains an active spiritual and social home, as evidenced by its 2017 jubilee, marked by religious and folk events.

Its history also reflects the tensions and hopes of the mining communities of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. After the mass destruction of Lens during the First World War (75 per cent of the razed city), the reconstruction took place through local initiatives, such as this temporary chapel of 1923. The Millennium Church project, carried out in the 1960s despite the reluctance of the Bishop of Arras, illustrates the will of Poles to preserve their heritage, while integrating into the French religious landscape. Today, it embodies both a remarkable architectural heritage and a symbol of community resilience.

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