Meeting with the guardian angels of the small church of Cobrieux, open all summer in the North

If you don’t know Cobrieux, a small village of 500 inhabitants, in Pévèle, near Templeuve, do not hesitate to take a walk in this little corner of paradise, out of time. Surprise this summer: the Saint-Amand church is open every day, thanks to parishioners in love with their place of worship like Pascaline Lecouffe and Pierre Renard! You can even enjoy their musical talents.

The Saint-Amand de Cobrieux church is hidden in the heart of a very small village in the North, near Cysoing. It does not overlook a busy street, has no sidewalk. She seems to have her back turned to the tumult, to the houses. She prefers rural calm, and that’s what she wants to offer if you go there. It can only be reached on foot through the cemetery or a green space. The church is aptly named, because although it is small and isolated, one feels that it is a beloved church. We explain why.

An open church… more and more

It is first and foremost an open church. During the year, she knows only 6 masses a year, without regularity. Baptisms and funerals are celebrated there, as well as a few rare weddings (only one this year). But it is not because the celebrations are rare there that the church must remain closed!

The idea of ​​opening the church more came at the start of the 2021 school year, following what is called “the coffee welcome”. “It’s a friendly meeting with the inhabitants, the parishioners, it’s open to everyone. Everyone talks about their ideas concerning the life of the church of Cobrieux. It was a pity that the church, recently renovated, remained closed,” recalls Rufin Cocheteux, one of the two parish referents in the village.

The operation is not easy to organize in a region with little tourism, especially in rural areas. For this, you need parishioners available and in love with their place of worship, enjoying the meeting. This is the case in Cobrieux.

From November 2021, it is therefore decided to open the building on Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Some parishioners get involved, like Pascaline Lecouffe and Pierre Renard.

The summer could have brought a parenthesis in this proposal. On the contrary ! In July and August, the church is open morning and afternoon until 6 p.m.

Pascaline sets up her keyboard near the church choir, and trains. She welcomes visitors with music. We can just sit, listen, visit, or start a dialogue.

Nice meeting

“It’s an opportunity for beautiful encounters, like this 75-year-old man who had spent his childhood in this village, had attended this church. It had been 40 years since he had set foot there. We have discussed. 15 days later, the funeral directors contacted me: this gentleman had died and had asked that his funeral take place in the church of Cobrieux. As if he had waited to return to this church to die…” remembers Rufin, moved.

Pascaline adds: “There was also this couple from Normandy, who got married in the church 42 years ago, happy to come back and rediscover their memories”. She likes this place “which has a soul, you never have the impression that you are alone”.

For the first time this year, the church participated in the Night of the Churches at the end of June 2022. And it was really a party! “Painters exhibited, the bell tower was illuminated, and in front of the church were organized the Fires of Saint John” recalls Rufin.

Learn more

Cobrieux (which means “the curve of the laughter, that is to say the stream), is 10 centuries of history, and it is Rufin Cocheteux, parishioner, postman, church lover, who knows well. “We have the first trace of a place of worship here with the foundations of the 11th century! Then between the 12th and 13th centuries, the Templars came here. The transept is from the 16th century. A lord also managed this sector, we find his coat of arms on the stained glass windows of the choir, and the seigniorial pews in the choir”.
Several elements are classified as Historic Monuments at the departmental level: the confessional, the pulpit, the seigniorial pews, the stelae, the high altar (1875).
The Saint-Amand de Cobrieux church is part of the Alliance Nouvelle parish, which includes the steeples of Cysoing, Bachy, Camphin, Mouchin, Quennaumont, Wannehain, Bourghelles, Louvil. The priest is Grégory Watine.

Some peculiarities

The Saint-Amand church has a few nuggets that make it a unique church. Of course, she’s small, but precisely that’s her charm. And that does not prevent it from having some notable “coquetteries”.

On the columns and in the choir, a fake marble trompe-l’oeil catches the eye. But the biggest peculiarity, rare in our region, is located… behind your back! When you enter the building, take a few steps and turn around. Doesn’t it look like we’re traveling to Louisiana? A so-called “colonial” stand, white, was brought by a priest and installed there at the beginning of the 20th century. Amazing!

A maintained church

Also, the Saint-Amand church is not abandoned on the work side, it is maintained. Just by looking at its shiny silhouette, we know that it has undergone recent renovations. “The bell tower has been refurbished for 5 years, there has been work for 400,000 euros, the town hall, owner, is active! explains Rufin Cocheteux.

The mechanism activating the bell has been redone, the angelus still rings at noon. The stained glass windows were restored 10 years ago.

The parishioners also support some interior work. “Last year, the interior paintings were taken over by the parish. The bases of the stained glass windows were consolidated voluntarily by a parishioner. 4 years ago, several wooden panels, numerous on the walls, were redone by an artistic cabinetmaker. We still have those of the choir, but it’s a lot of work,” explains Rufin. The Stations of the Cross paintings have also been redone.

Also, a welcoming church is a clean church. And this does not only involve major repairs or renovations, but also daily cleaning. For example this summer, all the chairs were bricked. And as soon as a trace of dust is spotted, the broom is out. Not easy to remove the large dusty nets high up on the statues! But the team has a secret weapon: a telescopic broom specially created by a parishioner, very useful for difficult tasks. It would be necessary to deposit the patent of the machine, so that the other parishes benefit from it!

This discovery of the church can also be an opportunity to discover a charming village of 500 inhabitants of Pévèle, calm, welcoming and dynamic. If you want to combine business with pleasure, a self-service vegetable distributor is installed in the main street.

Let yourself be surprised by the intriguing bicycles installed everywhere, decorated according to the season or the atmosphere of the moment. Currently, it’s summer decor!

Really, we can only love this village!

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