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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of the Sacred Heart of Janval was built between 1924 and 1926 in the working-class district of Janval, on the heights of Dieppe. This project is led by the sociologist Laborde-Noguez, as part of the urban expansion of the early 1920s. Land is provided by Mrs Dufresne, a local resident, while Norman entrepreneur Georges Lanfry supervises the work. The plans are entrusted to the Dieppois architect Georges Feray, winner of the Rome Prize, assisted by Louis Filliol. Concrete frame, covered with bricks arranged in checker, illustrates a marked regionalist style, combining technical modernity and neo-Roman references.

The church was opened to worship in 1926 and is distinguished by its traditional plan: a bell tower-porch, a nave with three vessels, a salient transept, and an apse with walk-in. A crypt, inspired by paleo-Christian architecture, is arranged under the choir. The bell tower, surmounted by an octagonal lantern, has a Latin cross and a rooster. Nearby, a rectory of the same style completes the whole. The retable mosaic is made by artist Jean Gaudin. The building is listed for historical monuments on April 29, 2002, including its fence wall and presbytery.

The church is part of a social context marked by the industrialization and urbanization of Dieppe in the early twentieth century. The growing Janval neighbourhood is home to a growing working population, for which this place of worship becomes a community symbol. Its architecture, although modern, borrows traditional elements to integrate into the local landscape. Unlike other contemporary buildings, such as the Church of Saint John Eudes of Rouen, the Sacred Heart of Janval favours a more classical approach, partially masking the use of concrete.

A tragic event marks its recent history: on the night of 14-15 September 2014, Father Claude Fauvel, pastor resident since the year 2000, ends his days in the presbytery. This dark episode contrasts with the spiritual and social role of the church, still active today.

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