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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Long found its origins in the 12th century with a first stone construction, rebuilt in the 15th century. This medieval building, composed of a low nave flanked by a unique low side and a flamboyant gothic choir with vaulted slices, was considered obsolete in the 19th century. The only vestige of this period, the bell tower of the 16th-17th centuries, surmounted by a stone arrow, was preserved during later works.

In 1841, the commune decided to replace the church with a larger neo-Gothic building, one of the first achievements of this style in Picardia. Built between 1846 and 1851 according to the plans of the Abbevillois architect Hyacinthe Vimeux, the new church adopted a traditional basilical plan: a nave with ten spans with low sides, extended by a choir with a polygonal apse, all covered with dardoise. The old bell tower was integrated into the west facade, pierced by three gates.

The interior of the church owes much of its artistic wealth to the renowned sculptors Duthoit brothers. They realized the capitals of the pillars, the high altar, the lateral altars, the stalls, the pulpit, the confessionals and the baptismal fonts. The stained glass windows of the choir, signed Stéphane Bazin, illustrate the life of Saint John the Baptist and the four evangelists. The organ, masterpiece of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1876–77), has 20 games and 1,142 pipes, with a neo-Gothic oak buffet designed by Victor Delefortrie and carved by Charles Buisine-Rigot. Ranked a historic monument in 2006, the building also houses an organ buffet and a protected instrument since 1982 and 1986.

The organ, restored in 1989 by Laurent Plet, has been the subject of a new survey campaign since October 2022, led by Pierre-Adrien Plet. This project, which is scheduled for the spring of 2023, concerns the cleaning of 1,142 lead and tin alloy pipes, as well as 50 red wood pipes. The church, owned by the commune of Long, remains a major testimony of the religious and architectural heritage of the Hauts-de-France.

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