Église Saint-Waast de Soissons, Neo-Gothic church in Soissons, France
The Église Saint-Waast is a neo-Gothic church at 6, rue Nicolas Berlette in Soissons, built from 1851 by diocesan architect Émile Boeswillwald, who drew on the appearance of the earlier church on the site. It is 35 metres long and 16 metres high, with a square tower-porch topped by a spire and four small turrets, a wide nave with a flat ceiling, and a rounded choir framed by two columns. Statues line the side-aisle walls, and only two stained-glass windows survive from before the First World War.
Louis VII founded a collegiate church here in the 12th century with a chapter of twelve canons, replacing a 7th-century chapel. Damaged in the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion, it was restored in the 17th century under Bishop Simon Legras. Sold as national property during the Revolution, it became a saltpetre workshop and fell into ruin; a gasworks later occupied the site. The present church was rebuilt from 1851 by architect Émile Boeswillwald and consecrated on 16 October 1855.
The church remains an active place of worship where locals gather for Sunday services and religious celebrations throughout the year. It serves as a spiritual center that shapes community life in Soissons.
The church is located within Soissons and is easily reached on foot from the city center. It welcomes visitors during Sunday services and religious celebrations, making it accessible to those wishing to observe or participate in worship.
The church on this site is not the medieval building: that one was sold as national property during the Revolution, served as a saltpetre workshop and fell into ruin, its site later occupied by a gasworks from the mid-19th century. The present neo-Gothic church was rebuilt from 1851, its first stone laid by Bishop Paul-Armand Cardon de Garsignies and mayor Barthélémy Périn, and consecrated on 16 October 1855.
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