Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, located in the district of La Neuville in Corbie (Somme), succeeds an older building whose only baptismal fonts of the 12th century remain. Built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, it features a flamboyant Gothic style, with a bell tower dating back to the late 15th century. Its tympanum, carved between 1515 and 1528, represents the entrance of Christ to Jerusalem and is considered one of the most remarkable of Picardia.

In the 17th century, a north side was added after the siege of Corbie in 1636. The tympanum survived the French Revolution, although the statues surrounding the porch were mutilated. In 1856, the Duthoit brothers participated in a restoration, and the church was classified as a historic monument in 1895, triggering a restoration campaign led by Édouard Danjoy between 1898 and 1901. Damaged by the 1918 bombings, it was restored in the 1920s.

The eardrum, restored several times (1965, 1981), was protected by an awning in 1993 due to its accelerated erosion by pollution. In 2021, major works involved covering, frame and windows, while the tympanum sculptures were restored in 2025. The church also houses remarkable elements such as a bas-relief of the Nativity (14th century) and statues from the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries.

The interior, sober, includes a nave of three spans, a north side bass and a triangular apse choir. The baptismal fonts, made of Tournai black stone, are decorated with symbolic sculptures (dragons, lions, doves). The liturgical furniture, renewed in 2022 by artisan Vincent Bergogne, completes this historic ensemble.

The western facade, in chalk of Vaux-sur-Somme, features a double portal framed with empty niches and a larval carved of hunting scenes. The quadrangular tower houses a bell installed in 1861. The church, owned by the commune, remains a major testimony of Picardy religious architecture and its evolution throughout the centuries.

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