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picture tourist office Desvres Samer |
Wirwignes is a small community of some 700 inhabitants in the coastal area of northern France, not far from Boulogne sur Mer.
Life and works
From 1863 until his death, Paul Amédé Lecoutre (1830-1906) has been Wirwignes' priest.
In 1867 he made a trip to Palestine, Egypt and Italy, and when he came back he probably was very enthusiast about what he had seen and experienced. His trip may have inspired him to make the biblical stories and the commandments better understandable for the many illiterate inhabitants of the community, by visually displaying these in the church.
Although abbé Lecoutre had no training in doing artwork at all, in 1867 he began decorating the walls of the church with frescoes and texts, all together kind of a catechism for the people of the parish. It's rather curious that in the same period another priest, abbé Victor Paysant, was active in decorating the church of his parish, Menil-Gondouin in Normandy.
Abbé Lecoutre did not leave a square centimeter of the walls and the ceiling of the church untreated. He also added all kinds of sculpted and decorated elements to the church.
Apart from these decorations new chapels were built on the sides of the church and new glass-stained windows were installed.
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this picture and the next one courtesy of Owen Philips, from his weblog |
In 1887 the works had advanced so far, that the bishop of Arras could re-consecrate the church.
Abbé Lecoutre continued his decorative activities. And then, in 1907 while completing a decoration in the height of the church, he fell down from the scaffold and died.
The priest was buried on the local cemetery in front of the church, .
The church became a historical monument
The church, which is owned by the municipality, in 2006 got the status of a historical monument.
It will be closed on weekdays. However, on demand a guided visit can be arranged by a volunteer of the Pas de Calais Greeters organisation (situation such as existing in 2017).
Documentation
* Article about Abbé Lecoutre
* Video by Jean Michel Zazzi l'Oeuvre de l'Abbé Lecoutre (shot in 2002, published on YouTube June 2014, 6'32", embedding disabled)
* Video by Jean Michel Zazzi l'Oeuvre de l'Abbé Lecoutre (shot in 2002, published on YouTube June 2014, 6'32", embedding disabled)
Video
* Video (2020, YouTube, 7'51", by pccL Longvilliers
first published May 2010, last revised November 2023
Abbé Paul Amédé Lecoutre
Église (de St Quentin) decorée
62240 Wirwignes, dept Pas de Calais, region Hauts-de-France, France
to visit contact the Greeters association
62240 Wirwignes, dept Pas de Calais, region Hauts-de-France, France
to visit contact the Greeters association
For someone with no formal art schooling, it looks like he did a rather amazing job...
ReplyDeleteThis place is not too terribly far from where we are, may have to go take a look one of these days...
I'm beginning to believe that your sources of such sites are bordering on infinite. Which is fine by me.
Hi Owen, If you are going to visit this church (it's not so far indeed), would you care to take some pictures of details of the frescoes?
ReplyDeleteI wonder what they look like. Probably kind of naive art.
When I started this blog I just had written notes about some 20 or 30 sites to fill the blog, now I have written about 100+ and they keep coming and coming, there must be an end of course, but when? Have a nice week.
Of course i also wish that the environments by all those brave, honest, sincere people never to come to an end, and that as long as there were humans, may there exist also people who dare to create and express they special view about life and the world as all this group of outsiders do. And of course, to continue having you dear Henk and your posts.
ReplyDeleteAll the best and regards for you wonderful friend
Hello Henk,
ReplyDeleteI have come via Owens site to read your post about this church. I'm glad you found it and now have made others aware. Its a beauty and would be worth visiting if in the area.
Many Thanks.........Al