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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Nicolas de Jonquières, located in the Oise department, is a religious building built between the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. It was largely rebuilt in the 16th century after the damage suffered during the Hundred Years War, with a consecration in 1522. Its architecture blends the flamboyant Gothic and Gothic styles, although its architectural interest is limited due to subsequent reconstructions, including the neo-Gothic vaults added in 1879.

The church is best known for its sixteen polychrome stained glass windows, created between 1849 and 1859 by Abbé Théodore-Cyrille Deligny, parish priest of Jonquières. Self-taught, he designed these stained glass windows in a naive and symbolic style, using brilliant colours and ornamental patterns that prefigure Art Nouveau. The stained glass windows of the Rosary and the Apostles, located in the transept, are regarded as his masterpieces. These works, initially despised, have been recognized for their originality since the 1930s.

The church was listed as a historic monument in 1920. It is now affiliated with the parish of the Sixteen Blessed Carmelites of Compiègne. Despite successive restorations, it retains modest furniture, including an 18th-century stall, and baroque altarpieces. The stained glass windows of Abbé Deligny, restored since the 1950s, remain his main attraction.

The sober western facade features a basket handle portal and a high-rise window in the 12th century. The oriental parts, carefully equipped, show flamboyant Gothic influences, with foothills and ground cornices. The interior, sober, is marked by a nave with three spans, a slightly overflowing transept and an apse with cut strips, all vaulted dogives.

The history of the church is marked by periods of abandonment, especially after the French Revolution, when Jonquières lost his parish priest for 27 years. The arrival of Abbé Deligny in 1834 revived the building, thanks to his restoration efforts and the creation of his stained glass windows. The latter, with bright colours and symbolic motifs, break with the 19th century religious stained glass conventions, making this church a unique place in French heritage.

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