The wonderful architecturally and historical City of Abbeville. We came here first several years back when living in Versailles and glad to have found me pictures in my cd rom vault to share in my blog for you and me, Therefore, let me tell you about the Collegiate Church of Saint Vulfran of Abbeville !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The City of Abbeville is located in the Somme department,no 80 in the Hauts-de-France region of my belle France. It was part of the province and then the administrative region of Picardy until 2015. It is 50 km from Amiens, 77 km from Dieppe, 80 km from Arras, 82 km from Boulogne-sur-Mer, 104 km from Rouen, 202 km from Versailles, and 555 km from my current home. Abbeville is served by two autoroutes/highways ; the A16 , which connects the Paris region to the Belgian border via Beauvais, Amiens, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, and Dunkirk, and the A28 which runs from Abbeville towards Rouen, Alençon, Le Mans, and Tours. We came here from Versailles by leaving the City by the Place de la Loi getting into Le Chesnay-Roquecourt alone rue de Versailles becoming the D321 road then bearing right on the D128 or Avenue Charles de Gaulle continue bearing right onto the D174 passing by La Celle Saint Cloud with the Sablons building on your left continue on the D173 same road continue and go over the tolls of the A86 onto the D913 by Rueil-Malmaison continue to bearing left get onto the A86 beltway highway passing Nanterre to exit/sortie 2B Bezons getting onto the D992 road go over the pont de Bezons over the Seine river and make a quick right onto the Quai Voltaire or D311 road alongside the Seine on your right hand side continue to exit/sortie 2 Enghiens les Bains on the A15 autoroute then bear right onto the A115 dir Calais/Amiens/Beauvais continue bear right onto the N184 road dir A16 CDG Airport until bearing left get on the A16 autoroute L’Européenne dir Beauvais ,Amiens continue to exit/Sortie 22 into Abbeville route d’Amiens or D1001 road around place Charles de Gaulle into City center passing the mairie or City hall on your left hand side at Place Max LeJeune ,past the tourist office into the Collegiate Church of Saint Vulfran, actually we were going to the beaches to get to Dieppe, but the road warrior in me told me to get by City center Abbeville…..
The Collegiate Church of Saint Vulfran is a masterpiece of Picardy’s flamboyant Gothic art. Its remarkable facade flanked by 2 towers with lookout and its nave, made of wood like a ship’s hull, reminds us that Abbeville was a major seaport in the Middle Ages. The 600 year old altarpieces ; it is a masterpiece of flamboyant Gothic art in Northern France. Its facade is remarkable: rose, gallery, Renaissance statues, two symmetrical towers over 55 meters high, topped by two watchtowers. The central portal is a fabulous example of the work of Picardy’s “huchiers”, illustrated by Renaissance casements. The interior is remarkable for the altarpieces in the side chapels, the modern stained-glass windows of religious and biblical inspiration, the Stations of the Cross and the paintings by William Einstein.
Among the statues on the portals, we recognize, in the center, from left to right, Saint Vulfran, Saint Nicholas with the three children, Saint Firmin, patron saint of the coopers who donated the statue, and finally Saint Germanus the Scotsman. On the tympanum, the statue of Christ has disappeared, but the Trinity reigns at the top of the gable. The arches depict episodes from the life of Christ. The wooden doors are carved with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and figures of the apostles. On the north portal, on the left, we recognize the legend of Saint Eustace, depicted on the tympanum, framed by a lion and a wolf carrying off his children; On the left, we see him thrown into the sea. On the south portal, we recognize the statues representing the Assumption of the Virgin, Mary Cleophas, and Salome with their children, all dressed in sumptuous Renaissance costumes. These statues, executed in 1501, are the work of Pierre Lheureux and were donated by the guild of haberdashers. The nave, in its 15C section, is relatively narrow only about 9 meters wide, and the vaults culminate at about 32 meters, giving an impression of height. The 17C wooden pulpit was restored and replaced in the nave in 2002.
In each of the aisles are three chapels.
In the south aisle: the Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste or Saint John the Baptist Chapel where there is an altarpiece of the baptism of Jesus, in polychrome stone, the original of which dates from the Renaissance. The Saint-Yves-et-Sainte-Anne chapel has an altar dedicated to Saint Anne, whose altarpiece from the early 16C is preserved in the Boucher-de-Perthes museum. Above the altarpiece are on either side the statues of Saint Nicholas, Saint Andrew and Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Opposite the altarpiece is a painting of Saint Sebastian, dating from the 17C. The painting and its gilded frame were restored in 2013. The Saint-Quiriace chapel where, in a recess, Christ taken down from the cross is found, from the 18C. The Art Deco-style murals date from 1931. Also located in the south aisle are: the 18C marble baptismal font; a 16C wooden statue of Saint John the Baptist, attached to a pillar; and a painting by Charles Gleyre entitled “Saint John Receives the Vision of the Apocalypse.”
In the north aisle: the Chapelle Saint-Louis or Saint Louis Chapel, built in 1492 by the d’Ailly family, houses a polychrome stone altarpiece depicting the Nativity (late 15C – early 16C). It was restored in 1994. It is framed by pilasters and small columns adorned with lush sculptures and designs. The ensemble is surmounted by three statues representing Christ surrounded by Saints Peter and Paul. A 17C painted wooden statue of the Virgin and Child was placed in this chapel; The Saints-Anges-et-Saint-Luc chapel preserves a 16C bas-relief, restored in 1843, representing “The Adulterous Woman” and a 19C altarpiece, representing the Last Judgment. These scenes sculpted in plaster were placed in a 17C frame; the Saint-Firmin chapel in which there is a painting representing “Christ on the Mount of Olives”. This painting was given to the collegiate church by King Louis-Philippe I in 1837.
A bit of history I like on the church tell us that on the site of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Vulfran, there was originally a parish church dedicated to Notre Dame. In the 12C, the Count of Ponthieu, having brought back the relics of Saint Wulfram of Sens, also founded a chapter of twenty-six secular canons there. The church then took the name of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Vulfran. It was at 1488 that the collegiate church was built at the bottom of a marshy valley located, at the time, near a branch of the Somme. The nave was built from 1488 to 1539 and the choir between 1661 and 1663. The western part, begun on June 7, 1488, was almost finished in 1502, which allowed the eastern facade to begin. In 1532, the towers were ready to accommodate the bells. The Wars of Religion and the Spanish invasions stopped the construction. In 1621, the brotherhood of haberdashers obtained permission to resume work on the construction of the choir, the foundations of which had been begun in 1573. But it was not until the beginning of the personal reign of Louis XIV, from 1661 to 1663, that the choir was completed. In 1691, the three upper windows of the apse were decorated with stained glass. It was therefore necessary to wait until the end of the 17C for the eastern part of the collegiate church to be completed. During the French revolution, the Church became the Temple of Reason, and on June 8, 1794, a feast was celebrated there in honor of the Supreme Being.
The City of Abbeville on its heritage : https://www.abbeville.fr/decouvrir-abbeville/patrimoine-et-monuments/grands-monuments/
The local Bay of the Somme tourist office on the Collegiate Church Saint Vulfran: https://www.tourisme-baiedesomme.fr/en/baie-de-somme-visitor-attractions/collegiale-saint-vulfran/
There you go folks, a wonderful visit to a nice town of Abbeville,worth a detour indeed, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Collegiate Church of Saint Vulfran of Abbeville !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels , good Health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 