Église Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul

English translation

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History

In 1940, the walled town of Maubeuge was set on fire by the Germans. The old church was destroyed in 1944 by bombing, one year after its registration on the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments on 10 June 1943. The original church dated back to the 7th century and had been destroyed five times since its creation. In 1945, André Lurçat was appointed architect and chief town planner for the reconstruction of Maubeuge. The town would become an example of the formalization of modern urban planning theories: clear, green, sunny and airy. In 1949, André Lurçat was designated to rebuild the church. He designed a building entirely of concrete, covered with a terrace, erected between 1955 and 1958. The load-bearing posts separate the three aisles of the nave and form an arc between the choir and the ambulatory. Two side chapels occupy the arms of the transept. The mosaics are the work of Jean and Catherine Lurçat, the altar furniture is carved by Félix Roulin and the stained glass is due to Bernard Pelletier. André Lurçat achieved three creations with the financing for war damage: avenue Mabuse, the Sambre esplanade and the church of Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul which is located in the northern part, the highest part of the town.