Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Maubeuge, located at 1 rue de Valmy, is a symbol of reconstruction after the Second World War. Designed by architects André Lurçat and Henri Lafitte, it replaces the former Saint Peter's church, destroyed by German bombings in 1940. Its minimalist architecture, in reinforced concrete, reflects Lurçat's vision, which imagined a neutral cultural space, easily converted into a multipurpose room. The 43-metre bell tower, lit with glass bricks, and the statues of the apostles Peter and Paul, carved by Felix Roulin, mark its sober facade.

The interior of the church is distinguished by its trapezoidal Latin cross plan, a broad nave that can accommodate 1,000 faithful, and abstract stained glass windows signed by Bernard Pelletier. The choir, centered and not backed, anticipates the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The mosaics, made by Jean Lurçat (the architect's brother) and Catherine Lurçat (his daughter), as well as the furniture carved by Félix Roulin, add an artistic dimension to the building. The church also houses the treasure of Saint Aldegonde, patron saint of Maubeuge, including medieval relics such as the veil of the saint and her shawl.

Classified as a historic monument in 2002, this church embodies Lurçat's modern urban ideals: a "clear, green, sunny and airy" city. Its construction (1955–1960) is part of the overall Maubeuge reconstruction project, marked by the innovative use of concrete and harmonious integration into an urban island. The glass stained glass windows, added in the 1970s, and the two cross paths (one by Catherine Lurçat, the other by Livio Korn in 1994) bear witness to his artistic evolution.

The organ, originally installed by the Manufacture Grandes Orgues de Lyon, was replaced in 1993 by a neoclassical instrument by Bernard Cogez. The natural lighting, designed by Lurçat, combines a cubic glass in the nave and a zenithal oculus (now occulted). The outside, made of rough concrete, is surmounted by a terrace, while the campanile houses a carillon of 28 bells. This monument, unique in style and history, links local memory and architectural audacity.

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