Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Sepulcre Church of Abbeville is a 15th-century Gothic collegiate church, rebuilt after the Hundred Years' War in a flamboyant style. Although its foundation traditionally dates back to the late 11th century, linked to the gathering of Crusaders by Godefroy de Bouillon, no documents or architectural vestiges confirm this origin until 1206. The present building, mentioned for the first time in 1332, embodies post-conflict economic renewal, with an architecture characteristic of its era.

In 1792 the church hosted the election of Abbeville's deputies to the National Convention. In the 19th century, major restorations were undertaken in 1863, including the neo-Gothic reconstruction of the bell tower and transept. Ranked a historic monument in 1907, it suffered heavy damage during the bombings of 1940, with the collapse of the vaults and the destruction of the stained glass windows. The restoration, delayed until the 1970s, allowed an artistic revival marked by the installation of 31 stained glass windows designed by Alfred Manessier between 1988 and 1993.

The stained glass windows, made by the Lorin Workshop in Chartres, illustrate the theme of the victory of life over death, with scenes of the Passion and the Resurrection. Today, they attract nearly 11,000 visitors annually. The church also houses a 16th century tomb, carved of wood and stone, as well as statues and liturgical furniture from the 17th to 19th centuries. The bell tower, finally restored in 2012, concludes a century of work aimed at preserving this jewel of Abbevill's heritage.

Among the church-related figures, Louis-Martin Porchez (1805–60) was vicar there before becoming bishop of Martinique. Historical sources, such as the works of Em. Delignières (1904) or Abbé Lefèvre (1872), document its architectural evolution and its role in local religious life, from the Middle Ages to its contemporary restoration.

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