Nos événements

Raised and surrounded by a landscaped cemetery, the building consists of a tower extended by a nave of four bays and a choir with a rounded chevet.

The Romanesque tower, made of reddish-brown sandstone and limestone rubble, dates from the 12th century. Closed at the base, with rare openings for shooting, it offered a defensive character. The present gate, the monumental staircase and the wrought iron gates of the cemetery were not created until 1898.

Three human stone heads, remains of Romanesque baptismal fonts from the 12th-13th centuries, were inserted into the southern face of the tower in the 16th century. On the western side of the tower, an electric clock has replaced a mechanical clock with one hand dating from 1835 since 1966. A slate pavilion with dormer windows covers the belfry which houses two bells.

The nave and choir, rebuilt in 1831-1832, in a neoclassical style, in brick and limestone on a high rubble base, are covered with a slate roof. Twelve arched bays decorated with coloured and didactic stained glass windows provide a light conducive to meditation.

The church has a relic of Saint Lutgardis one of the mystical glories of the 13th century who lived here in the Cistercian community of Awirs. In 1211, the nuns left this church to settle in Couture St Germain in a place to which they gave the name of their original residence: Aywières! The statue of Saint Rose of Lima, of which the church also possesses a relic, is at the origin of a pilgrimage that is more than one hundred years old...

Numerous funerary crosses from the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries have been embedded in the exterior masonry.

KIKIRPA : Photo-library online