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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Doingt is a Catholic building located in the department of the Somme, near Peronne. Its history is marked by several successive reconstructions. A first medieval church, destroyed in 1787, was replaced in 1789 by a neoclassical building. The latter, in turn, was razed during World War I, requiring complete reconstruction in the 1920s.

The present church, inaugurated in 1930, was designed by architect Maurice Quentin in a neo-Roman style, mixing concrete and stone cladding. Its facade features Romanesque elements (rounded porch, rosette, buttress), while its massive bell tower evokes medieval models. Inside, the abside is decorated with a fresco by Gustave Riquet depicting the Assumption of the Virgin above the village in ruins, symbol of the renaissance after the war.

The wall paintings, made by the same artist, also decorate the side altars. The building, restored between 2016 and 2017, bears witness to both past destruction and the desire to rebuild local communities. Its sculpted tympanum, representing the Virgin surrounded by angels, and its vestments recall Romanesque traditions, while integrating modern materials such as concrete.

The reconstruction of the church is part of the broader restoration movement of the devastated villages of the Hauts-de-France after 1918. Doingt, like many of the Somme's localities, was almost entirely destroyed during the conflict. The current building thus embodies the memory of destruction while celebrating the resilience of the inhabitants, through artistic elements evoking both faith and local history.

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