Visite guidée de la Basilique de Mézières, ses vitraux et son trésor d'art sacré à Charleville-Mézières

Classified as a "Monument Historique" on 18 October 1901, this late flamboyant gothic style church was built from 1499. Its construction took nearly 120 years, using the foundations and certain elements of the early Romanesque church. 

It received the name of Our Lady of Hope at the beginning of the 19th century when it was home to the statue of the Black Madonna. Honoured since the 10th century, the Black Virgin of Mézières generates an annual pilgrimage that lasted until 1962! The current stone statue replaces the one made of burnt wood in 1643.

Erected as a Basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946, the Church saw the marriage of King Charles IX of France to Elizabeth of Austria in 1570. Many times ravaged and bombed during the conflicts of history, Notre Dame is always rebuilt like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

After the Second World War, an appeal is launched for the manufacture of the new stained glass windows. It is the painter and sculptor René Dürrbach, a collaborator and friend of Picasso, who has just finished the stained glass windows of the church of Epenoy in the Doubs, who receives the order. 1,000 m2 of surface area, 62 stained-glass windows and 6 oculi, were then created between 1954 and 1979.
Witness to the non-figurative art of the second half of the 20th century, the artist uses the symbolism of colours, numbers and fundamental signs. In this way, he created a meditation journey dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Finally, a final jewel is housed in the Basilica's entirely renovated former sacristy: the Treasure of Sacred Art of the Ardennes. Around fifty masterpieces and precious objects that have remained hidden for a long time in sacristies and church reserves in the department.

Inaugurated in July 2018, the Treasure presents ancient statues, precious reliquaries, gilded chalices, embroidered chasubles and paintings in a modern museum space. Exceptional objects that bear witness to the know-how of craftsmen from the 13th to the 19th century in the Ardennes.

A visit from treasure to treasure

By reservation at the Tourist Office | By phone : +33 (0)3 24 55 69 90 | By email : contact@charleville-sedan-tourisme.fr | Visit in French from 4.30pm to 6pm | Adults and children from 12 years old | Price : 5€/person | Appointment : Square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Hope