Laventie: Churches, Military Cemeteries and Parc Cœur de Ville

Laventie offers a range of starting points for planning your trip, including churches, military cemeteries and Parc Cœur de Ville: architectural history, remembrance of the First World War and a municipal park. If you’re looking for a hotel in Laventie, you can first consider which of these themes you’d like to shape your stay most.

Church architecture and reconstruction

The Église Saint-Vaast was built on the site of the church that was bombed and burned down in 1914. The foundation stone for the new building was laid on 11 October 1925, and the church was solemnly blessed on 28 April 1929. The dates provide a clear sequence in the building’s history, from the laying of the foundation stone to the blessing.

Saint-Vaast is a Neo-Gothic building designed by architect Cordonnier, with three naves and two transepts. The bell tower is 68 metres high, or 74 metres including the weathercock. The Église Saint-Vaast also houses the Cavaillé-Coll-Mutin organ. It dates from 1903, was restored in spring 1999 and is listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments.

The Église Saint-Pierre de Fauquissart on Rue du Bois has a different building history: Lille architect Louis Marie Cordonnier designed it to replace a church built in 1902 that was destroyed during the First World War. At Saint-Vaast, the laying of the foundation stone and the blessing are precisely dated; at Saint-Pierre, the building history centres on its predecessor and its destruction.

Military cemeteries and local heritage

There are seven military cemeteries within the commune of Laventie: six British and one German. Burials at Fauquissart Military Cemetery began in November 1914; 102 English soldiers are buried there. Royal Irish Rifles Graveyard also opened in November 1914. It contains 806 people: 800 British, two Canadians, two Indians and two Germans.

Rue du Bacquerot n°1 Military Cemetery was opened by the Indian Corps in November 1914; 635 people are buried there, including 484 British, 144 Hindus and seven Germans. Rue plate (13th) London Graveyard, also called Red House cemetery, contains 196 graves: 168 English and 28 Australian.

Rue Masselot German Military Cemetery is a German military cemetery with 1,978 people buried there. Euston Post Cemetery contains 43 people, including 42 English and one German. The cemeteries mentioned here therefore range in number of burials from 43 to 1,978.

Local heritage also includes eleven chapels built or renovated after the First World War, as well as six calvaries. The town’s history therefore encompasses many other religious buildings in addition to its churches and military cemeteries.

Park, walk and cherry history

At Parc Cœur de Ville, paths run alongside a drainage ditch to a municipal fishing pond. The park offers families a fun orienteering course and is open year-round. Check the current access conditions before your visit.

As part of Téléthon, the fun four-kilometre “Sport Nature et Patrimoine” walk was also offered in Laventie, giving visitors a chance to discover the local heritage.

The history of cherries is also part of the commune’s past: Laventie was known for cherries in the Pays de l’Alloeu, where they were called “L’alloeu” in Artois.

Discover more destinations: Beaurains, Grenay, Rivière, Ambleteuse, Leubringhen, Parenty, Salperwick, Surques.

See the wider travel guide: Pas-De-Calais.