The day after the violent fire that ravaged the church of Saint-Omer, it was time to assess the damage, and there was a lot of it. Only the altar and a few works from the side aisles survived within the building.
Like a carcass still standing after a violent disaster. Seen from the sky, the images filmed by BFMTV of the church of the Immaculate Conception of Saint-Omer reveal the damage it suffered during its fire on Monday, September 2.
Between four walls, a black and burnt enclosure is revealed, exposed in the absence of a roof and a framework. If the fire started at the very end of the church, in the sacristy, it quickly spread to the entire religious building and set the entire building ablaze.
The roof collapsed quite quickly. The bell tower, which overlooked the building, collapsed at midday while the fire was under control, taking with it all the upper structures, from the vaults to the arches.
Remains of beams now litter the nave up to the choir. Few elements can be discerned amidst the completely burnt debris. In these conditions, only the use of a drone allows one to safely observe the immensity of the damage caused by the fire.
The altar preserved but still threatened
In addition to the building, the heritage that the church housed also went up in smoke. Several stained glass windows, including those in the rose window at the entrance, were broken.
The great organs, emblematic and very imposing instruments of the place, are today nothing more than dust on the floor of the building. Amidst the rubble, one can still make out wooden elements, completely carbonized, and pipes, burned and melted.
Part of the church, however, has survived the flames. The Virgin Mary, located on the altar, is still standing and faces the destroyed church. Behind her, the stained glass windows of the choir still seem intact, or at least have not exploded under the heat of the fire.
However, the altar is not yet entirely preserved: the priest of the church shared his concern because beams located above these stained glass windows continue to burn this Tuesday, September 3. They overhang the statue of the Holy Virgin in precarious balance.
The firefighters regularly water them to prevent these beams from falling and damaging the last elements of the church that are still intact.
“The most important” has been saved
Other paintings and statues, displayed at the level of the side aisles, also survived the disaster. They began to be taken out of the church on Tuesday in order to preserve them. The priest assures that “the most important” were saved like “the tabernacle, the holy hosts”.
Technical meetings will be held to protect the church from the rain, before beginning discussions on the reconstruction of the building.
At the same time, the investigation into the origin of the fire continues. A suspect was taken into custody on the evening of Monday, September 2. This man, born in 1985, is known for “numerous past records”, including “similar acts of destruction by fire”.
Juliette Moreau Alvarez and Cédric Faiche
