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Origin and history

The church of the Sacred Heart of Le Havre, located north of the city, was built between 1886 and 1887 thanks to the initiative of Abbé Beaupel, parish priest of Saint Vincent de Paul. The latter acquired land to meet the spiritual needs of a growing population from the Mare-au-Clerc, Mare-Rouge and Bois de Bléville neighbourhoods. The plans were designed by architect Émile Bénard, winner of the Rome Prize, and the building was inaugurated on 13 March 1887 under the original name of Notre-Dame-des-Champs. Its bell tower, completed that same year, will house three bells installed between 1890 and 1910.

Between 1891 and 1893, the interior was enriched with furniture and a wooden stall. In 1913, the church was affiliated with the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre and became parish seat in 1918. During the liberation of Le Havre in September 1944, it suffered major damage: the organ was burned and the bell tower was destroyed by an English shell targeting German soldiers cut off. Post-war repairs (1948s) included the laying of new stained glass windows, the construction of a dome topped by a statue of the Sacred Heart, and the restoration of the rosace.

A pilgrimage dedicated to the Sacred Heart, initiated in 1899 after the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, attracted up to 18,000 faithful in 1914. This gathering, both patriotic and devotional, ceased in 1968. The church also experienced liturgical changes in the 1970s, such as the withdrawal of St.Anthony of Padua altar to comply with Vatican Council II. A final restoration campaign in the early 2010s focused on stained glass windows, statue, organ and rosace.

Architecturally, the building combines local red bricks (from the Red Mare) and a Latin cross plan. Its reinforced concrete dome, covered with slate, dominates the structure. The current stained glass windows, created around 1950 by the Rouennais workshop Jacques Motto, replace the originals provided by the Duhamel-Marette house. The church remains a symbol of Havre religious and historical heritage.

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