Saint-James Church Compiègne

Saint-James Church (FR: Église St.-Jacques), located 100 meters to the right of the town hall, is traditionally a stop on the pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela. The choir from the 13th century is the most impressive part of this church. The building of the church started with the construction of the choir and the transept in the usual Gothic style of Île-de-France (such as the St.-Yved of Braine, St.-Léger of Soissons and the Notre-Dame of Paris ). In 1198, the Bishop of Soissons, Nivelon de Chérisy, asked Pope Innocentius III to set up the parish Saint-Jacques. The Pope gave permission in 1207, after which in 1235 the construction of the church began. Because of its location on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Blanche de Castille named the church "Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur". In the fourteenth century the construction stagnated by the Hundred Years War. On May 23, 1430, Jeanne d'Arc entered through a small door to pray; this was the day before her arrest in Compiègne. Today this door has been bricked up. Since Charles V the church has been a royal parish. Louis XV rebuilt the castle of Compiègne and also decorated the church. In 1881 by a privilege of Pope Leo XIII, Saint Louis (ie Louis IX) became pattern of the church alongside Jacques-le-Majeur. Louis XIII gave crown candlesticks and wall lights on loan, which were later donated by Napoleon III. The church windows come from the nineteenth century and represent the main events of the city. The organ from the eighteenth century is 2000 pipes large.

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