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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-du-Soldat de Hans, located in the Marne department, dates from the late twelfth century. A charter of 1206 mentions it as newly built, and two of its pillars date back to the 1180s. It has a square tower serving as a bell tower, but its apse was removed in 1809. The building was restored under the Second Empire on the initiative of Henry of Dampierre, with patriotic stained glass windows of Duhamel Marette evoking military themes such as the Crimean War or the baptism of Clovis.

The nave, covered without restoration of the vaults, houses a marble nave offered by Marshals, as well as commemorative plaques dedicated to the dead of the Second Empire wars (Blandan, Courbet, Count of Enghien). The church was consecrated by Bishop Surrieu and blessed by Leo XIII. It also houses the vault of the Counts of Dampierre, including the hearts of Henri and Guillaume-Henri du Val, as well as stained glass windows dedicated to bishops related to the family, such as Charles-Antoine-Henri Du Valk de Dampierre.

Ranked a historic monument in 1943, the church retains remarkable furniture, including baptismal fonts in white and black marble, the work of sculptor G. Ardy, offered by the Marshals Saint-Arnaud, Randon and Canrobert. A plaque commemorates the soldiers of the colonial army corps who died in 1914-15. Its history reflects both a medieval religious heritage and a 19th century military memory.

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