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Origin and history

The Collège Saint-Vulfran d'Abbeville, located in the Somme department in the Hauts-de-France region, is a jewel of flamboyant Gothic art in Maritime Picardie. Originally, a parish church dedicated to Our Lady occupied the site before the 12th century, the Count of Ponthieu founded a chapter of canons and transferred the relics of Saint Vulfran (or Wulfram), giving his current name to the building. Its construction began in 1488 in a swampy valley near an arm of the Somme, with an atypical orientation (façade to the north).

The nave, erected between 1488 and 1539, was financed by the King of France, the Count of Ponthieu and the city of Abbeville, reflecting the ambition of the chapter to possess "the most beautiful church of Ponthieu". The stones come from the quarries of Beaumetz and Pont-Rémy, under the direction of master mason Jean Crétel from 1520. The work was interrupted in 1539 for lack of funds, leaving a temporary wall to close the nave. The Spanish wars of religion and invasions delayed the completion of the choir, finally built between 1661 and 1663 in a more sober style, under Louis XIV.

Ranked a historical monument in 1840, the church underwent major degradation: transformed into a temple of Reason during the Revolution, it was saved in extremis by the restorations of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. On 20 May 1940, a German bombardment during the Battle of France destroyed much of the building, leaving only the towers, the façade and the beginning of the nave standing. Restored throughout the 20th century, it was restored to worship in 1998.

The architecture of Saint-Vulfran combines flamboyant exuberance and classic sobriety. The nave, narrow (9.10 m) but high (31.7 m), is decorated with vaults with liernes and thirdons, while the carved portals celebrate saints and local corporations (tonners, mercerers). The twin towers peak at 55.80 m. The choir, rebuilt in the seventeenth century, housed woodwork and a master altar of the Duthoit brothers, now partially lost. Among the treasures preserved are a bust-liquary of Saint Vulfran (17th century) and a Christ on the cross of the 15th century.

The stained glass windows, like those of William Einstein, and the Renaissance statues (notably those of Pierre Lheureux for the Mercier Corporation) bear witness to the patronage of the local brotherhoods. The 17th century wooden pulpit, restored in 2002, and the eagle-shaped lutrin (18th century) complete a rich furniture despite the destruction. The present organ, installed in 1961, replaces the one destroyed in 1940.

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