Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jacques de Villers-Tournelle came into being in the 13th century, when Jean de Tournelle, local lord, set out on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in 1224. The choir was redesigned in the 16th century, but the building was completely destroyed in May 1918 by German bombings during the First World War. The present church, rebuilt in the inter-war period, is inspired by Byzantine plans, with a nave surmounted by a dome and a bell tower with a slate arrow.

The 16th century stained glass window, the only vestige of the old church, represents the king of Saint Louis adorning the Count of Fransures in Tunis. The interior, art deco style, houses a statue of the Virgin and Child carved by Georges Legrand (after a drawing by Gérard Ansart), illustrating the artistic renewal of the reconstruction. The building thus bears witness to the destruction of the Great War and the efforts to restore Picardian religious heritage.

Located in the department of the Somme, near Montdidier, the church integrates into a landscape marked by post-war reconstructions. Its hybrid architecture, combining Byzantine influences and modernity of the 1920s and 1930s, makes it a unique example of the religious heritage of the Hauts-de-France, linked to both medieval history and the upheavals of the twentieth century.

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