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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Église Sainte-Barbe de Crusnes, located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in the Grand Est region, is an exceptional metal construction erected between 1937 and 1939. Designed by the architects Claude Robbe (then Alphonse Fenales) for the company of Wendel, owner of the local iron mines, it was made by the company Fillod, specialist in prefabricated steel constructions. This prototype was to serve as a model for churches destined for the countries of mission, but the Second World War prevented its production in series. Its steel frame and painted sheet metal walls, as well as its decorative elements (glass of Saint Barbe by the Mauméjean workshops, murals by Nicolas Untersteller), bear witness to this unique alliance between industry and religion.

The church suffered from the dread of time and its mining environment: rust, soil collapse in 1977 (related to underground exploitation), and risk of disappearance before its restoration in 1997 under the direction of architect Thierry Algrin. Ranked as a Historic Monument in 1990, it also marked popular culture by appearing in Les Rivières Pourpres 2 (2004), where its metallic appearance and grim lighting strengthened the atmosphere of the film. Owned by Wendel until 1968, it was returned to the commune before being acquired in 2015 by the artist Léonore Scherrer, who planned to set up a recording studio there — a project abandoned before it was reissued for sale in 2020.

A symbol of Lorraine's industrial heritage, the Church of St.Barbe illustrates the technical audacity of its time, mixing religious function, architectural innovation and working memory. Its history also reflects the challenges of preserving metal buildings, vulnerable to corrosion and ground movements. Today, it remains an emblematic place, at the crossroads of art, industry and faith, while posing the question of its sustainability in the face of changes of ownership and use.

Future

Invaded by rust, having suffered the collapse of the ground like the village one night in 1977, this unique church in the world threatened to fall into ruins and disappear forever. A restoration campaign has made him shine.

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