Gaston laplace drew the exterior ruins of the church of albain saint nazaire (pas de calais). Commissioned by charles de bourbon-carency and built by jacques le caron in the 16th century, this church is considered one of the jewels of flamboyant gothic in northern france. This church was even classified as a historic monument in 1908 by the historic monuments commission. At the start of the first world war, the hill of lorette, located in the territory of ablain-saint-nazaire, represented a very strategic location. Indeed, it offers an exceptional observatory over the arras basin and plain. From october 1914 to october 1915, lorette hill was the subject of fierce battles between the french army and the german army. In october 1914, the germans captured it. Subsequently, the french troops will not stop reconquering the hill of lorette and the surrounding villages. On may 3, 1915, the french army attacked and bombarded the hill and its surroundings for six days. It was during one of these bombings that the church of albain saint nazaire was destroyed (see the wikipedia page on the town of ablain-saint-nazaire). When gaston laplace went to ablain-saint-nazaire to draw the damage caused by the bombings, the town and the church were completely in ruins. As he shows in his drawing, all that remains of the magnificent gothic church is the largely destroyed bell tower and part of the vaults of the nave. At the foot of the church, a furry man contemplates the damage to the building caused by the french bombings. At the end of the conflict, the historical monuments commission decided not to rebuild the church because the french state could not bear the cost of restoring the ruined church. In 1922, the municipality decided to build a new church on land facing the town hall. Date: 1915. Dimensions: 21 x 16,5 cm. Medium: indian ink and pen on paper. Collection: La contemporaine. Albain Saint Nazaire (Pas de Calais) 1915
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