The reconstruction of Noyon and Soissons Cathedrals after the First World War

Abstract

The extensive damage of cathedrals and major churches in the North of France during the Great War reflects the dramatic and blind destruction of urban and rural architecture and landscapes in the area. Their reconstruction was a systematic endeavour that was driven by state care and followed different priorities and timescale (1919-38) than the civil sector, while the technology used showed a variety of responses to contemporary practice. The restorers’ priorities were often conditioned by the need to accommodate worship as the survivors were rebuilding their lives. The extensive reconstructions in the major churches of Soissons, Noyon, Reims and St-Quentin ranged from faithful reproductions of the walls and vaults in dressed stonework to new roof trusses in concrete, and in most cases the execution is durable and of high quality. A detailed outline of the process is discussed in two cases where reconstructions were partial and focused on vaults, the cathedral of Soissons and Notre-Dame of Noyon. The research is based on archives of the works and literature on the subject in French, and aims to highlight the technical dimension of that unique endeavour in a literature that focuses more on the cultural dimensions of the destruction and reconstruction.