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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin church of Auxi-le-Château originated in the destruction of the previous building in 1493 by the German garrison of Arras, probably in retaliation against the Marshal of Esquerdes, local lord. An inscription on the gate attests to this fire, as well as the looting of the inhabitants and the capture of 80 men. The reconstruction began immediately, as evidenced by the triumphal arch adorned with the Marshal's weapons, who died in 1494. The nave was completed in 1503, date engraved on the gate, while the choir, led by the master of work Pierre Daniel, spread between 1512 and 1530, with vaults decorated with Luxembourg's ecu.

The bell tower was erected in 1577, and the church suffered damage during the wars of 1571 and 1636, leaving traces of fire. The western facade was taken over in 1697, followed by repairs to the vaults and bottoms in 1714. The organs, built between 1731 and 1745 by Adrien Carpentier of Arras, were restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. Ranked a historic monument in 1910, the church was the subject of numerous restoration campaigns, notably in 1839, 1842, and in the 1930s, despite collateral damage such as the alteration of the southern facade.

The stained glass windows of the choir, made in 1533 by master glassmakers Daniel Warnier and François Lardié of Abbeville, illustrate the local crafts of the period. The building, a communal property, stands on an escarpment overlooking Authie, a symbol of the community's resilience to repeated conflicts. Its architecture combines late Gothic elements with Baroque repairs, reflecting a turbulent history from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

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