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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Martin de Dannes, located on Rue de l'Eglise in Pas-de-Calais (Hauts-de-France), is a religious building marked by construction campaigns spread between the 15th and 16th centuries. Its elongated architecture, without collaterals and transept, results from these successive phases. The nave, composed of six arched bays resting on lateral caps, probably dates from the 15th century, while its foothills were strengthened at the beginning of the 16th century. The choir, finished with a bedside and illuminated by flamboyant windows, was built under the patronage of François de Créqui and his wife Marguerite Blondel, heiress of the local seigneury. A notable feature is its vault overlooking a stream, while the square tower, added later, housed a room with fireplace and potentially served as a watchtower.

The tower was raised in the early eighteenth century, and the church underwent extensive restorations between 1886 and 1893, led by architect Clovis Normand. In 1890-1891 a sacristy was added, and the bell tower, very reshaped, preserved traces of its defensive or observational function. The church has been listed as a Historic Monument since June 10, 1926. It also houses ten protected windows. In 2013, a new restoration campaign, supported by the Savage de l'art français, focused on coverage, western gable and belfry. The building, a communal property, remains a remarkable architectural testimony, combining religious, defensive and seigneurial functions.

The diagnosis of the heritage architect Eric Barriol before the 2013 works highlighted two singularities: the choir built above a stream, carried by a vault, and the bell tower, which may have served as a watchtower, or even as a defence, as evidenced by the remains of a chimney. These elements, combined with its history linked to the family of Créquy, make it an emblematic monument of local heritage. Today attached to the parish "Our Lady of Foy" of the dean of Berck-Montreuil (diocese of Arras), the church continues to play a spiritual and cultural role in the community.

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