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Classed as a Historic Monument
 Although
never completed, this is one of the most remarkable Flamboyant
Gothic style monuments, blending here very harmoniously with
the Renaissance central doorway. Worthy of admiration are
the two 55.8 m. high towers and above all its west front with
its regular and elegant arrangement and its highly sculpted
porches. The decoration is at one with the architecture. Far
from being an additional decoration it draws the attention
by its opulent variety and harmony. Ruskin, in “Præterita“
wrote, "for cheerful, unalloyed, unwearying pleasure,
the getting in sight of Abbeville on a fine summer afternoon….to
see St. Wulfran again before the sun was off the towers, are
things to cherish the past for, and to the end."
General Introduction
The twin-towered collegiate church’s exceptional façade
is divided horizontally into three levels. It takes up the
composition of facades used in the 13th century but the sculptures
which decorate the three great doorways are among the most
typical witnesses of 16th century art in Ponthieu, at the
confluence of Germanic and Italian influences.
The sculptures of the side doors, dedicated to the Virgin
on the right and St. Eustache on the left are by Pierre Lheureux
(1501-1506). They show an early evolution towards Renaissance
style.
The central door, slightly later, shelters the statues of
bishops St. Wulfran and St. Nicolas on the left, St. Germain
the Scot and St. Firmin on the right.
Behind the façade, the building is has a nave of four
bays flanked by low sides, which, from the second by, open
into side chapels. A partition closes off the nave at the
exact point where, in 1539 the building work temporarily ended.
Beyond that the building perpetuates, to a certain extent
the Gothic tradition of the mid-17th century.
History of the monument
Nave (1488 - 1539), Choir (1661 - 1663).
St. Wulfran was originally a parish church bearing the names
of both St. Nicolas and St. Firmin.
In the 12th century the Count of Ponthieu brought to it the
remains of St. Wulfran, archbishop of Sens, and founded a
chapter of 26 canons.
A new building was constructed in 1488 at the end of the
Hundred Years War.
The re-establishment of peace and of exchanges then opened
up a period of prosperity which was translated into a considerable
artistic fervour and expressed in Flamboyant Gothic. The chapter
of St. Wulfran wished to have the most beautiful church in
Ponthieu and to do this gained the support and financial participation
of the king of France, of the Count of Ponthieu and of the
town of Abbeville,
whose first magistrate was Antoine Postel. Contributions were
made by several corporations, among them the Haberdashers.
So as to allow services to continue during building work,
this was started with the west front whose foundation stone
was solemnly laid on the 7th June 1488.
The job was done quickly, since in 1502, the façade
was practically complete and work could then continue eastwards.
From 1524, mass could be celebrated in the second chapel
on the south side. The pace of construction was kept up until
1539, the date when the walls met the arms of the transept.
Due to lack of funds the impetus was lost and the initial
plan would not be brought to fruition as a result of a new
period of instability which befell the region.
In 1620 and again in 1634, permission was granted to the
Haberdashers' Guild to enlarge their chapel on the south side
in place of the transept and the first bays to right of the
choir. This decision signalled the abandonment of the original
plan and it was not until the end of the 17th century that
this eastern part could be finished.
Practical info
Opening times
Every day (except on Sunday) : from 17/04 to 28/10,
from 2pm to 6pm.
Guided visit upon request.
Saint-Vulfran Collegiate
Church
Parvis St Vulfran
80100 Abbeville
Friends of Saint-Vulfran Association
Tel : +33 (0)3 22 31 74 05 or +33 (0)3 22 24 72 79
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