St Joan of Arc - Le Touquet
Le Touquets most beautiful churches are celebrating Christmas with a host of services in the run up to Christmas and beyond. The Joan of Arc church is located next to the town hall in the centre of Le Touquet. This elegant and imposing church is well worth a visit at any time of year.
100 Boulevard Daloz, 62520 Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France.
Located in a prominent position next to the town hall
The first church in France to be dedicated to Saint Joan of Arc, at the request of the British Catholics, the church of St. Joan of Arc replaced an earlier small chapel of saint Andrew which had become too small to answer the needs of Le Touquet Paris Plage, . Economic prosperity, the fashion for sea-bathing, and the constant presence of the British were the cause of many architectural programmes of great quality which are still the signature of the resort today.
Built following the plans of Lucien Viraut, the vast church of St. Joan of Arc was opened 14th July 1911. Largely destroyed in the bombing of 4th July 1944, the church was rebuilt and finished in 1954, and enlarged in 1958 by lengthening the transept. It has a Latin cross plan, a nave with side aisles, and a five-sided apse.
Inside, the vast and light nave is vaulted in wood, representing the over-turned keel of a boat. The stained glass windows, by several contemporary artists, tell the life of Jesus, around the sanctuary, and different episodes of the life of Joan of Arc along the transepts and nave.
In 2008 a new organ was installed, one of the most important in the Region and whose repertory valorizes the exceptional acoustics of the church. The exterior, surrounded by gardens, has a high steeple whose architecture reminds us of that of the civilian belfries in the region, and reflects that of the imposing and elegant town hall facing it which had recently been classified as a Historical Monument.
If you want to know more about things to do in Le Touquet then visit our Top 10