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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Anne d'Amiens, built in the second half of the 19th century, replaces a first building erected in 1835 by François-Auguste Cheussey and demolished in 1866 to give way to the railway. The current project was entrusted in 1865 to the architect Victor Delefortrie by the parish priest Pierre Charles Marie Aubert, who played a central role in his design. The new church, of neo-Gothic style on the inside and neo-Roman façade, was blessed in 1869 and consecrated to the Congregation of Lazarists, founded by Vincent de Paul in the 17th century.

The rich and varied interior decor includes stained glass commissioned at the Lorin de Chartres workshop (1868-1880), paintings by Charles Crauk, and sculptures by Alexandre Hesse and Modeste Verlender. The stained glass windows illustrate biblical scenes such as The Life of Saint Vincent of Paul or The Education of the Virgin, while the chapels house works dedicated to the Virgin and the saints. After the law of 1905, the church remained the property of the Lazarists, and its furniture evolved in the 20th century, especially after Vatican II, with the suppression of the pulpit and the bench of communion.

Classified as a historical monument in 2007, Sainte-Anne Church is distinguished by its Latin cross plan with a stroll, inspired by picardic cathedrals like Amiens or Noyon. Its polychrome façade, decorated with statues of the evangelists (1882), contrasts with a sober stone interior, vaulted with warheads. The presbytery and the old school, designed in harmony with the building, complete a coherent architectural ensemble, witness to the lazarist influence and the Amieno urbanization in the 19th century.

The tomb of the parish priest Aubert, located in a chapel of the walkway, represents the original facade of the project, with arrows never made. The archives reveal difficulties during the construction, notably the death of the entrepreneur Sallé-Cordier during the cholera epidemic of 1866, leading to the resumption of work by his widow and then by Lenel. The damage of World War I (presbytery pinion, right tower) also recalls its turbulent history.

The church houses remarkable furniture, such as the high altar offered in 1835 by the Marquise de Gerville, or the stalls of the choir (1895) of the Lille workshop Buisine-Rigot. Modern stained glass, signed Pierre Pasquier (1946), and Crauk's paintings (L'Assomption, 1877) highlight his artistic evolution. Today, the whole — church, presbytery, sacristy and old school — forms a protected heritage, reflecting both the 19th century religious art and the social history of Amiens.

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