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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur d'Essertaux, located in the department of the Somme about 20 km south of Amiens, was built in 1769 under the impulse of Marquis Henry Gabriel de Béry, local lord. It replaces an earlier building and embodies the classical style, with a three-level facade surmounted by a triangular pediment decorated with the coat of arms of the Berbier and Berbier families of the Metz. Its portal, with an oculus, and its quadrangular dome bell tower with a lanternon make it a remarkable example of 18th-century religious architecture.

Inside, the church houses a yellow limestone tombstone dating from 1522, dedicated to Jean de Béry and his wife Marguerite Jeanne de Rubempré, both members of the local nobility. Their epitaph, engraved on three sides and surrounded by heraldic sculptures, bears witness to the historical importance of the family in the region. The choir, adorned with woodwork, and the pulpit to preach decorated with a Saint-Jacques shell also underline the role of Essertals as a stage on the way to Compostela.

The building was listed as a historic monument by order of December 16, 1969, recognizing its heritage value. Designed by the architect Sénéchal de Corbie, the church combines traditional elements (nave to collateral, transept to hemicircular chapels) with baroque details, such as the shields and sculpted characters on the tombstone. Its history reflects both the influence of local lords and the jacquarian devotion, characteristic of the picard villages crossed by pilgrims.

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