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Origin and history

The Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-et-Saint-Ignace church of Arie-sur-la-Lys, built between 1682 and 1688, is a late Baroque performance by the Jesuits. His project, financed by the bequests of the Caverel family, is part of the project of the Collège Sainte-Marie founded in 1612. The initial plans of Brother Jean Du Blocq, modified by Brother Jean Bégrand, reflect the liturgical principles of the Council of Trent, with an extended single nave of a circular apse. The double word, Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola, honours donors.

Expelled in 1763, the Jesuits abandoned the church, which became during the Revolution a meeting room of the Friends of the Constitution, headed for a time by Lazarus Carnot. Vandalized (dispersed furniture, broken stained glass), it was then transformed into a military depot (1795-1837) before being returned to worship in 1846. A major restoration in 1853, led by the priests of Saint-Bertin, resettled altars, stalls and pulpit, while 14 18th-century golden wooden panels, saved from the heights of the collegiate Saint-Pierre after 1944, found refuge there.

Ranked a historic monument in 1942, the church is distinguished by its 33-metre facade, devoid of bell tower, and its interior marked by a symbolic Latin cross. The crypt, originally intended for Jesuit burials, recalls its first vocation. Today it preserves baroque statues of the apostles and Ignatius of Loyola, whose origin remains mysterious. Its history reflects the religious and political upheavals of France, from the Ancien Régime to the concordate restoration.

The architectural sources underline its membership in the network of Jesuit churches in the Southern Netherlands, with stylistic influences shared between Flanders and Artois. The archives mention exchanges with Rome to validate the plans (1620), revealing the strategic importance of this project for the Society of Jesus. The 1944 bombings, although destructive for the city, partially spared the building, allowing the rediscovery of the golden panels in the 1950s.

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