Destruction of the old church 1914-1918 (≈ 1916)
By German shells during the war.
1925
Consecration of the new church
Consecration of the new church 1925 (≈ 1925)
Completed according to Umbdenstock plans.
2008
Replacement of the bell tower
Replacement of the bell tower 2008 (≈ 2008)
Original bell threatened with ruin.
2009
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 2009 (≈ 2009)
Order of 9 October 2009.
30 juin 2012
UNESCO classification
UNESCO classification 30 juin 2012 (≈ 2012)
World Heritage with the Mining Basin.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The entire church (Box AB 234): inscription by order of 9 October 2009
Key figures
Gustave Umbdenstock - Architect
Designer of church plans.
Auguste Labouret - Glass painter
Author of stained glass and mosaics.
Léon Rudnicki - Decorative painter
Director of interior frescoes.
Font-Robert - Sculptor
Author of capitals and chair.
Origin and history
The Saint Louis de Grenay Church was built by the Bethune Mine Company after World War I to replace the old church destroyed by German shells in 1914-1918. Designed by architect Gustave Umbdenstock between 1918 and 1925, it combines neo-Roman and Art Deco styles, with a brick structure and stone corbels. Its original bell tower, threatened with ruin, was replaced in 2008 by a stylized replica in the shape of a minor lamp, while its roof was redone in slates in 2010.
The interior of the church is marked by remarkable artistic works: the stained glass windows and the cross path in mosaics are the work of the painter-glass Auguste Labouret, while the frescoes and interior decorations were made by Léon Rudnicki. The capitals and the monumental pulpit are signed by the sculptor Font-Robert. Among the remaining stained glass windows, nine represent the life of Saint Barbe, patron saint of the miners, the others having been removed by a previous priest.
Consecrated in 1925, the Saint-Louis church was listed as a historical monument in 2009, and then listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 as part of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin (site 84). It now depends on the parish of Saint Vincent de Paul de Bully-en-Gohelle and the diocesan association of Arras. Its regional porch, surmounted by a statue from the Virgin to the Child, and its Latin cross plan make it a major architectural and historical testimony of mining life.
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