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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin de Marck, located in the Pas-de-Calais, replaces a 15th century building destroyed in September 1944 during the fighting of the Liberation. The old church, which was set up in the heart of the communal cemetery, was revived by retired German troops and was destroyed by the allied bombings on 28 September 1944. As early as 1948, the municipality entrusted its reconstruction to the Caliasian architect Maurice Suaudeau, with funding provided by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Housing.

The initial project provided for reconstruction on the original site in the cemetery, but was finally relocated to the edge of the cemetery, near the Town Hall Square, to facilitate access. The first stone was laid on 30 April 1961, and the church was inaugurated on 12 April 1964. Designed in reinforced concrete on an elliptical plane, it incorporates a central nave surrounded by a peripheral belt housing porch, bottom side, sacristy and other annexes. The bell tower, implanted out of work, overlooks a Baptistery.

The outstanding artistic elements include glass slab stained glass windows created by Gabriel Loire, renowned master glassmaker, and a fresco adorning the choir, made by the painter Geneviève Colladant-D These works contribute to the modern identity of the building, classified as Historical Monument by decree of 17 January 2002. The church thus symbolizes Marck's rebirth after the destructions of World War II, combining contemporary functionality and spiritual heritage.

The choice of reinforced concrete and the innovative arrangement — with a central nave raised in relation to peripheral spaces — reflect post-war architectural trends, focusing on the simplicity of shapes and the resistance of materials. The movement of the building outside the cemetery also marks an urban evolution, linking the place of worship to the civil life around the town hall. Today, the Saint Martin church remains an architectural and historical testimony of the Hauts-de-France, mixing memory and modernity.

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