A major fire has partially destroyed the Immaculée-Conception church in Saint-Omer, French police have opened an investigation.
On Monday night, a fire broke out in the sacristy of the Saint-Omer church before spreading to the nave and then to the bell tower and roof, which collapsed. Around fifty residents were evacuated during the fire, which was brought under control.
According to the outgoing interior minister Gérald Darmanin, “the fire is now under control”, writes Le Parisien.
Darmanin thanked the 90 firefighters who took part in extinguishing the blaze and said that an investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Videos of the fire show just how dramatic it was.
Église de l’Immaculée-Conception ravagée par les flammes, Saint-Omer. Our Catholic places of worship are tirelessly destroyed in the French Republic. pic.twitter.com/PdCAhjYR77
– Montjoie Saint Denis (@SaintMontjoie) September 2, 2024
“It’s a tragedy for our city,” said François Decoster, mayor of Saint-Omer.
The church, known as the cathedral of the suburbs, was completely restored between 2015 and 2018 at a cost of 5 million euros, around 60 million Norwegian kroner.
“This is once again our religious heritage affected by a fire,” says outgoing culture minister Rachida Dati.
The number of church fires in France is at an almost unimaginably high level. Approximately every fortnight, a church burns down, usually as a result of arson. In addition, many churches suffer vandalism and other damage.
The Observatoire de Christianophobie keeps a record of all forms of offence against churches and other Christian symbols.
Here is a map showing where fires have occurred in churches or unoccupied houses/buildings. Inside the website you can also find an overview of human injuries.
Saint-Omer is located in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, just over four miles south-east of Calais. The city is located in the historic province and county of Artois. In Saint-Omer, the canalised section of the river Aa begins.
Norwegian media do not seem particularly interested in the burning of churches in Europe. Neither VG, Aftenposten, NTB nor NRK have mentioned the fire.
