Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Roubaix, Gothic Revival church in Roubaix, France.
The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste is a red brick Gothic Revival facade with two tall towers, each capped by a dark pointed roof and pierced by narrow arched windows with dark louvres. Between them a large pointed-arch window with stone tracery sits above a clock and a statue at the peak, over three red pointed doors. Its towers echo the medieval-looking factory chimneys of industrial Roubaix.
Construction was decided in the 1880s, when Roubaix was growing fast through industry and the hamlet of Raverdy, with 4,000 inhabitants, depended on the distant church of Saint-Martin. The church was built from 1887 to 1890 to plans by architect Auguste Dupire on land given by brewer Guillaume Lefebvre. Restoration began in 1995, and the whole building was listed as a Monument historique on 6 June 2014.
The church keeps two 1715 paintings of the Spanish school and oak choir stalls carved with the four Evangelists. Seven stained-glass windows show the life of Saint John the Baptist and the Evangelists. The building is oriented north along the summer solstice axis, and its decoration is said to carry esoteric symbols.
The building sits at rue Nicolas-Poussin and received protected monument status in 2014 for its architectural importance. The location is accessible on foot and allows for easy visiting.
The church is oriented north along the summer solstice axis, a deliberate alignment tied to the feast of Saint John the Baptist on 24 June. Its facade towers echo the medieval-looking smokestacks of Roubaix's textile mills, and the sources note that the architecture and decor are said to carry esoteric symbols.
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