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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Hierges Church is a Catholic church located in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region. Built between 1572 and 1579, it is distinguished by its architecture and historical furniture, including 17th century stained glass windows and paintings, such as The Virgin and Saint John Baptist of Flemish painter Charles Eyckens. The building, slightly eccentric from the city centre, embodies the local religious heritage.

Gilles de Berlaymont and his wife Lamberte de Croy, whose coats of arms and a commemorative inscription adorn the entrance porch, had the initiative to build it. This inscription, dated 1579, underscores their devotion to God and Saint John the Baptist. The church was classified as a historical monument in 1993, after a first partial inscription in 1987, protecting its furniture and structure.

Among the remarkable elements are a glass window depicting a Virgin with the Child, a bench of celebrant, statues and paintings such as the Adoration of the Magi or the Marriage of the Virgin. These objects, classified individually, reflect the artistic and spiritual importance of the place. The support wall of the adjacent cemetery has also been protected since 1987.

The church is part of a historical context marked by the influence of local noble families, such as the Berlaymonts, and bears witness to the cultural exchanges between France and Flanders during the Renaissance. Its late classification (XX century) highlights the gradual recognition of its architectural and furniture heritage.

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