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In the heart of a historical village in the Ternois, nestling in a wooded hollow (hence the name “au Bois” in the woods), between the valley of the Authie and that of the Canche, the church of Our Lady, in Buire-au-Bois dominates the village with its imposing height.

Built during the 18th century, the church was founded by the nuns of the royal Cistercian abbey at Willencourt less than 10 kilometres from the village. The important size of the buildings was to show their importance in the 18th century, a century of major monastic rebuilding.

Remarkable for its onion-shaped steeple, of which there are only three in the area, the church opens its doors under a triangular pediment, adding another refinement to the classic style of the building. A vast nave is revealed to visitors bathed in light due to the Cistercian stained-glass windows. These windows of grisaille, which appeared in the 12th century, are representative of the art of the Cistercians, where sobriety is the rule, in these big windows with non-figurative but geometric and vegetal motives. They contrast with the historic 19th century windows in the sanctuary and contemporary with the tower.

Actually, closed due to major work to save the building, the church is a centre of interest and preoccupation for the Council and the local association which animates it and valorises it, encouraged by the Departement and the Foundation for the Patrimony.

In 2019 the church was one of the sites chosen for the Patrimony Lotery for the following work: restoration of the cornices, stabilising the N.W window, and renewal of the roofs.