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Origin and history

The church Saint-Martin de Croix, located in the Northern Department, was built between 1847 and 1851 by architect Charles Leroy to respond to the population growth linked to industrialization. It replaces an old 12th century church, sold as a national property and demolished in 1799. This first neo-Gothic building in the region marks an architectural turning point, inspired by the flamboyant style. The church, originally built between 1805 and 1851, quickly became insufficient for the growing population.

Between 1879 and 1883 the architect Alphonse Dubuisson enlarged the church under the impulse of Abbé Deran: a transept was erected at the place of the original choir, and a new choir was added. Ravaged during the First World War, it was restored in the 1920s by Abbé Decock. The interior murals, made in 1927-1928 in troubadour style, and the late 19th century stained glass windows (restored in 2004) bear witness to its rich artistic heritage. The organ, dating back to 1880 and restored in 2007, was replaced in 2020 by a digital organ.

The church houses a remarkable painting by Pharaoh of Winter, The Deploring of Christ, a central panel of a triptych whose two other elements are preserved in Marcq-en-Barœul. Ranked a historic monument on June 9, 2005, it now depends on the Dean of Roubaix, in the Archdiocese of Lille. Its architecture mixes bricks and stones, with a nave, two sides, a narthex flanked by chapels, and a bell tower dominating the ensemble. Open to the public outside the offices, it remains an active place of worship, with Masses celebrated alternately with the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Roubaix.

The interior restoration, carried out between 2010 and 2015, preserved painted decorations and furniture, such as the 1926 organ buffet. The church thus illustrates the architectural and artistic evolution of religious buildings in the North, between medieval heritage and modern adaptations. Its inscription in historical monuments underlines its heritage importance for the Hauts-de-France region.

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