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Origin and history

Saint-Pierre de Cayeux-sur-Mer Church is a Catholic religious building located on the coast of the Somme, in the Hauts-de-France. Until 1902, the original church, built in the 13th century, was near the Hâble d'Ault. Its location was rendered obsolete after 1766, when the construction of a dam caused the displacement of the agglomeration to the northwest, moving the village away from its historic place of worship.

The new church, erected between 1900 and 1902, adopts a neo-Roman brick style, designed by the Amienese architect Émile Ricquier. It takes on a traditional basilica plan, with a nave with a low side, a choir, and an imposing bell tower with a porch. The gate, surmounted by a rose, and the triplets illuminating the nave reflect the architectural cannons of the time. Inside, the cradle vault of the nave and the cul-de-four vault of the choir frame elements inherited from the old church, such as the 12th century bentier or the bell.

The stained glass windows, made by Ader and Houilles in 1902 and 1926, were restored between 1950 and 1954 by Raoul Cagnard, Amienese master glassmaker. The organ, installed in 1913 by Félix Van Den Brande, even attracted composer Louis Vierne, who wrote part of his Second Symphony for Organ. These artistic and musical details underline the cultural role of the building, beyond its religious function.

The church also retains several statues and liturgical objects transferred from the old church, showing historical continuity despite the change of place. Its inscription in the local landscape makes it a marker of the picardic heritage, mixing medieval heritage and architectural modernity of the early twentieth century.

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