Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Pierre de Lamotte-Warfusée church was built between 1929 and 1931 to replace the 19th century church, destroyed during the First World War. The village of Lamotte-en-Santerre, razed during the conflict, was completely rebuilt in the inter-war period. This ambitious project entrusted the reconstruction of the church to the architect Godefroy Teisseire, a major figure of Art Deco in France, who collaborated with renowned artists to create an innovative building, both in its reinforced concrete structure and in its interior decoration.

The 54-metre openwork arrow, characteristic of the building, dominates the local landscape. The brick walls and reinforced concrete frame illustrate the technical advances of the time, while the Greek cross plan breaks with earlier architectural traditions. Outside, the great Christ in sgraffit of the facade, made by the Amienese sculptor Georges Legrand, marks the entrance of the place. The interior, decorated with ochre paintings and sgraffits by Dominique Aldighieri, as well as stained glass designed by Jacques Gruber, bears witness to an assertive artistic will, mixing Italian influences and local know-how.

Ranked a historic monument in 2005 after a first inscription cancelled in 1994, the church underwent several restoration campaigns, notably in the 1950s to stabilize the bell tower and in 2013 for the arrow. Despite these efforts, the degradation of the concrete and interior frescoes remains a concern in 2020, reflecting the conservation challenges posed by the materials of the inter-war period. The building, owned by the commune, embodies both the post-conflict resilience and the creative audacity of an era of reconstruction.

The large dimensions (30 m long, 19 m wide) and the height of 54 m underline the ambition of the project. The ironworks, signed by the Cantrel workshop of Rosières-en-Santerre, and the stained glass windows executed by the Amienese workshops of Daniel Darquier and Georges Teumbret, complete this coherent set. A 19th century painted wooden statue, classified as an object, recalls the pre-conflict heritage. The church is thus part of a network of picardic reconstructions, studied for its technical, artistic and memorial approach.

Available sources, including Wikipedia and Monumentum, highlight the key role of Teisseire, who also supervised the churches of Hangest-en-Santerre and Chaulnes. The stained glass windows of Gruber, an artist linked to the École de Nancy, and the paintings of Aldighieri, of Italian origin, illustrate the diversity of influences that shaped this monument. Despite the current deterioration, the church remains a major testimony of the First Reconstruction, a period when innovation served both faith and collective memory.

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