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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Chapelle of Abbeville is a Catholic religious building dating back about 1400. Built on the remains of an ancient pagan temple, it was originally a simple chapel, replaced by a church in the late 14th or 15th century. Its bell tower, classified as a historical monument in 1910, was the only element that survived the French Revolution, during which time the church was sold as a national property and demolished. The bell tower's arrow, destroyed by lightning in 1619, was rebuilt in 1620, before being demolished again in 1875 for security reasons.

The present church was rebuilt in 1804 after the revolutionary destruction. It adopts a traditional limestone basilica plan, with a quadrangular bell tower reinforced by flamboyant foothills and Gothic bays. Among its remarkable features, it houses organs dating back to the late 18th century (circa 1790), originally installed in the church of St Andrew, and then transferred in the 1970s. The golden wooden buffet, from the Hôtel-Dieu d'Abbeville, has been a historic monument since 1981.

The building illustrates the architectural and historical transformations suffered by religious monuments in France, between revolutionary destructions, reconstructions and preservation of heritage. Its bell tower, symbol of resilience, still dominates Abbeville's urban landscape, while its interior preserves works of art bearing witness to its rich past.

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