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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption d'Arques-la-Bataille church, located in Normandy, is an emblematic building of Norman flamboyant Gothic. Ranked as a historical monument in 1862, it is distinguished by its coherent architecture, refined sculpted décor, and rare liturgical developments, including an exceptionally preserved 16th century jube. Its stained glass windows, especially those of 1530 organized around a Tree of Jesse, as well as its ancient furniture, make it a precious testimony of Renaissance religious art.

The construction of the present church, which began in the early 16th century, spanned about a hundred years, incorporating elements of an earlier building such as the nave, lower and covered with a wooden cradle. The choir and transept, built first, contrast with their height and brightness. The bell tower, added in the 17th century, houses two 19th century bells. The older western façade received a central portal in the 18th century, illustrating successive construction campaigns.

The church houses a jube, rare in France after the Council of Trent (16th century), which recommended its suppression. The one of Arques-la-Battle, of remarkable sculptural finesse, also carried an organ as early as 1558, replaced in 1851 and then in 1997. The latter, the work of the factor Michel Giroud, inspired the creation of the former Bach Academy music festival in 1998, whose concerts are now animating the building. The stained glass windows, from the 16th to the 20th century, include works by Duhamel-Marette and Mauméjean, as well as commemorative windows of 1914-1918 designed by Lucien Métivet.

The church, spared by the unfortunate restorations of the 19th century, preserves largely unpublished furniture and documentation. It remains an active place of worship (paroisse Arques-Val de Varenne, archdiocese of Rouen) and a cultural pole, thanks to the Bach Academy installed in the former presbytery. Its early ranking (1862) underscores its heritage importance, reinforced by its location in the Seine-Maritime, Normandy.

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