Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Brocas came into being in the 11th century, when a first church was built under the property of the abbey of Saint-Sever. First rebuilt in the 12th century for unknown reasons, it suffered major damage during the Wars of Religion in 1569, then during the Fronde in 1653. Despite a restoration in 1856, the building collapsed permanently on the night of March 2 to 3, 1928, marking the end of the old church.

The reconstruction of the present church began in 1930 under the direction of architect Léonce Léglise, and was completed in 1936 by Franck Bonnefous. This project, initiated by Mayor Robert Bézos, aims to include Brocas in modernity by using concrete for the first time for a church in the Landes. Several elements of the old building are preserved, including the high altar, three glass windows of the choir and a pieta, integrated into the monument to the dead.

The church is distinguished by its concrete architecture, with three vessels and a square bell tower overtaking the gate. It houses an 18th-century polychrome marble master altar, classified as a historical monument and attributed to the Mazzetti brothers. The stained glass windows of the choir, dating from 1865 but partially redesigned in 1930, as well as the side stained glass windows of the Dagrant House of Bordeaux, complete its artistic heritage. A mosaic of Saint John the Baptist, created by Anselme Foscato in 1931, adorns the porch.

Contrary to tradition, the church is eastward oriented. It also houses the monument to the dead of the commune, composed of a pietà, a victory bearing palm and crown, and symbols of the Catholic cross and the war cross. Its central location on Robert Bézos Square makes it an emblematic place for the village.

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