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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Nicolas de La Ferté-Milon Church, listed as a historic monument in 1965, is an emblematic 16th-century Catholic building. Located in the lower town of La Ferté-Milon (Aisne), it was built in a context of remediation of local marshes. Its architecture underwent major changes, notably after a fire caused by lightning in 1850, which destroyed its original bulb-shaped arrow, represented on the old 50 francs note.

The church's stained glass windows, dating from the sixteenth (1542, 1549, 1598) and nineteenth centuries, illustrate biblical scenes such as the Passion or the Apocalypse. Protected during revolutions and wars (white in 1789, disassembled in 1918 and 1939), they were restored several times, especially in 1925 after World War I damage. A bay definitely disappeared after 1918.

The furniture includes remarkable pieces: a wrought iron lutrin, a 17th-century work bench (the painting of which is now at the Jean Racine Museum), and three 17th-century wooden angels. The organ, built by Salomon Van Bever in 1905 and restored in 2020, as well as marble baptismal fonts (XVIIIth) and a golden bronze chandelier (early 19th) complete this ensemble.

The building also lost architectural elements in the 20th century: in 1900, the damaged southern roof of the nave was simplified by removing three gables from side chapels, thus altering its original appearance. This work, conducted to reduce costs, incorporated the south side of the nave under a single slate roof.

Owned by the commune, the church is located at 52 rue de la Chaussée, in an area historically marked by its development linked to the dewatering of the marshes. Its classification in 1965 highlights its heritage value, both for its architecture and for its furniture and stained glass windows, witness to the local and national historic upheavals.

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