Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of the Sacred Heart of Bonnecousse, located in Aussillon in the Tarn, was built between 1959 and 1960 to replace a 1930 chapel that had become too small. This project is part of a wish formulated after the Second World War: to build a new church if Mazamet, a neighbouring city, was spared. After the abandonment of a first project, the Dominican fathers of the magazine L-Art Sacré recommend architect Joseph Belmont, assisted by engineers Jean Prouvé and Serge Ketoff. The building, marked by bold architecture (steel "floating" roof, independent bell tower), embodies a synthesis between liturgical tradition and technical innovation.

The liturgical design is entrusted to the Dominicans of Sacred Art, while the interior incorporates major works: a tapestry by Simone Prouvé (after Philippe S. Hadengue), stained glass windows by Henri Guérin (1960), and furniture designed by Belmont. The church, able to accommodate 700 faithful, was protected as early as 2001 under the Historical Monuments and benefits from the 20th century Heritage label. Its architecture, blending local rubble, prefabricated metal structures and zenithal light, reflects a quest for economy and elegance, typical of post-war churches.

The site, located in the Aussillon plain, is part of a dynamic urbanization linked to the Mazamet extension. Several aborted projects (1929, 1934, 1946) precede the final realization, financed by a local real estate company and archdiocese of Albi. Father Cocagnac, a key figure in the Sacred Art, played a decisive role in the choice of Belmont, then a young architect trained at Jean Prouvé. The latter intervenes on prefabricated columns, illustrating the collaboration between artisans, artists and religious.

The decorative elements, such as Monique David Belmont's lead Child Virgin or the wooden benches made by the cabinetist Stella de Labrugière, highlight the attention paid to local craftsmanship. The bell tower, separated from the main building, dominates a terter and combines raw concrete and a metal arrow surmounted by a cock. The ensemble, conceived as a space of contemplation open to nature (through a continuous glass strip), embodies the ideals of liturgical renewal of the 1950s-1960s.

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