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Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Charles de Montigny-en-Ostrevent was built in the 1930s by the Compagnie des mines d'Aniche to serve the Polish workers of the mining towns, especially those of the Barrois pit. Located in the mining district near Lambrecht Castle, it was designed by architects Louis Marie Cordonnier and his son Louis-Stanislas. The first stone was laid in 1933, and the neo-Roman style of Art Deco was inaugurated in 1935. It is dedicated to Saint Charles, patron of geologist Charles Barrois, who gave his name to the nearby pit.

The building, built in red bricks with highlighted elements in white stone, adopts a Latin cross plan. Its bell tower, originally planned to the right of the façade, was never erected due to the risk of mining collapses. In 1998, the church was ceded to the diocese of Cambrai. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012, with its mining environment. Today, it hosts Masses in French and Polish, perpetuating its link with the Polish community.

The Saint-Charles church illustrates the social and industrial history of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin. It reflects the integration of Polish workers, who came massively to the region at the beginning of the twentieth century to exploit coal resources. Its architecture, combining neo-Roman influences and Art Deco, reflects both a desire for local anchoring and a cultural identity unique to immigrant populations. Registration at UNESCO underlines its heritage importance, linked to the growth and decline of mining activity.

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