Montdidier - Saint-Sépulcre

The name of the town "Montdidier" comes from the fact that in 774 Didier, king of the Lombards defeated by Charlemagne, and his wife "Desiderada" were imprisoned on an estate belonging to the Abbey of Corbie, which was situated on a hill on the site where the town was later built, which was given the name "Montdidier".

The origins of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre date back to the Crusades. Payen de Montdidier, one of the founders of the Knights Templar, participated in the Siege of Jerusalem in 1099. Upon their return, they offered the relics they had brought with them, two pieces of the Holy Cross, to the community of Montdidier, who decided to build a church dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre to house them. The first building was constructed in 1146, but was located outside the city walls. In 1411, the church was destroyed and rebuilt within the city walls in 1419. However, between 1510 and 1519, a new large church was built to replace the previous one..

It was severely damaged in the First World War in 1918 but rebuilt during the interwar period. The shell of the building was completed in 1935, and the stained-glass windows were installed in 1939. During World War II, the church was damaged again in 1940 and was not reopened to the public until 1960.

Unfortunately, the church was closed.