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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-et-Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Folleville, located in the Somme (Hauts-de-France), is a flamboyant Gothic building whose origins date back to at least 1301, when a shovel attests to the existence of a church on this site. The present nave, built at the end of the 14th century under the impulse of Jean de Folleville (prevost of Paris from 1388 to 1401), was enlarged at the beginning of the 16th century by Raoul de Lannoy, baili d'Amiens, who added a seigneurial chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The latter sculpted his lying and that of his wife Jeanne de Poix by Milanese artists between 1506 and 1508, creating a funeral ensemble considered a masterpiece of the Northern Renaissance.

The monument is inseparable from the history of Vincent de Paul: it was from his pulpit that the priest delivered, on January 25, 1617, a founding sermon of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists), at the request of Philippe Emmanuel de Gondi, then Lord of Folleville. During the Revolution, the inhabitants protected the baptismal fonts and tombs, thus preserving an exceptional heritage. Ranked as a historic monument in 1862 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 (via Compostela Roads), the church also reveals, under its current foundations, the remains of an earlier building discovered during restorations in the 19th century.

The architecture combines sobriety and refinement: the nave, vaulted with chestnut wood, contrasts with the stone choir, decorated with rib arches decorated with chains and vegetal motifs. The stained glass windows (XVI-XIXth centuries), the marble gissers of Carrare of Lannoy, and the paintings of the 19th century illustrating the life of Vincent de Paul (copies of missing works) bear witness to his rich past. The stair turret, the slate bell tower, and the external statues (saint Jacques, Virgin) complete this emblematic set of Picardic heritage.

The Lannoy tombs, located in the choir, are an artistic gem. Raoul and Jeanne, carved by Antonio Della Porta and Pasio Gaggini, mixes flamboyant styles and Renaissance, with lush decorations (saints, biblical scenes, funeral symbols). The second fire, dedicated to their son Francis and his wife, illustrates the transition towards the French Renaissance, with carved cardinal virtues. These elements, combined with the pulpit of Vincent de Paul and the marble baptismal fonts (armed with the Lannoy weapons), make the church a place of memory, both religious, seigneurial and popular.

In the 19th century, work revealed that the current building was based on older foundations, confirming a multi-sacular religious occupation. The restorations also allowed to preserve medieval elements, such as the swimming pool decorated with the monograms of Raoul and Jeanne de Lannoy. Today, the church attracts for its history linked to Vincentian charity, its late Gothic architecture, and its sculptural treasures, while remaining an active place of worship in the heart of rural Picardia.

The protection of the church during the Revolution by the villagers underlines its local anchor. Ranked among the first lists of historical monuments (1862), it also embodies the cultural influence of the Somme, between medieval heritage, Italian influence (via Milanese artists), and jacquarian heritage. His inscription at UNESCO in 1998 as the path of Santiago de Compostela, devotes his role to European pilgrimages, while celebrating a sacred art in which devotion, seigneurial power and artistic innovation combine.

Future

The Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-et-Saint-Jean-Baptiste is one of the 71 monuments and 7 portions of roads have been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998 under the official title "Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle en France".

It was at the edge of one of the 4 classic tracks (Via Turonensis, Via Lemovicensis, Via Podiensis and Via Tolosana). The pilgrims therefore had to make a detour to visit it.

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