Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Courrières church, originally built in 1534, was a 16th century stone building. The village suffered a devastating fire on 28 May 1940, caused by German troops, leaving only the walls of the three ships and the bell tower. The latter, classified as a Historical Monument on 5 January 1942, became the central point of reconstruction.

The reconstruction, carried out between 1961 and 1964 by the architect of the Historical Monuments Charles Waldschmidt, integrated the ancient remains into a modern brick structure, deliberately purified. The roof terrace, covered with stainless steel, and the weekly chapel, decorated with a glass slab composition signed Bertrand and Boutzen, illustrate this fusion between heritage and modernity. The trapezoidal nave, extended by a mobile partition, reflects an innovative liturgical adaptation.

The bell tower, the only item classified before the war, symbolizes the resilience of local heritage. The reconstituted church, owned by the commune, today embodies both the memory of the conflict and an architectural renaissance, while serving as a place of worship and assembly for the Courrières community.

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