A parish priest in France was able to rescue the Blessed Sacrament and some 20 other religious artifacts  — including the reliquary bust of St. Corneille  — after his church was set ablaze by an arsonist on the night of Sept. 2.

The historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, was ravaged by the fire. The suspect, identified as Joël Vigoureux, 39, a multi-recidivist who has attempted to set fire to numerous places of worship in the past, was apprehended a few hours after the blaze was brought under control.

According to local authorities, the fire started at around 4 a.m. It then spread to the side and central aisles, then to the roof and bell tower, which rapidly collapsed. The fire was contained by 7:15 a.m. thanks to the efforts of 120 firefighters. No injuries were reported.

The church’s pastor, Father Sébastien Roussel, told CNA that he entered the building once the authorities at the scene said it was safe.

“With the authorization and under the supervision of the firefighters, I was able to enter the church when the fire was under control to take what is most important, namely the ciborium in the tabernacle at first, then several statues and elements of the liturgical furniture,” he told CNA. 

In another interview, Father Roussel added that “the stained-glass windows, particularly the beautiful ones in the choir, dedicated to Mary, are not too damaged.”

Of neo-Gothic inspiration, the church was completed in 1859 and was completely renovated by the municipality in 2018, at a cost of five million euros.

Quoted in Le Figaro, the president of the Hauts de France region, Xavier Bertrand, assured that his administration “will be at the side of the town of Saint-Omer for the reconstruction, to see this heritage brought back to life.”

The French outlet also reports that a meeting was held Tuesday at the town hall, attended by the architect who coordinated the renovation and prefectural officials, to rapidly envisage the reconstruction, which is nevertheless expected to take several years.

A time of prayer in front of the church will be held Wednesday, followed by a Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Arras, Olivier Leborgne, at the Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Miracles in Saint-Omer.

The images of the flames devouring the roof and steeple of the monument that has turned into an open-air church continue to generate anger and consternation on social media, not least because of their over-familiarity.

In recent years numerous iconic Catholic structures in France — including Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris — have been severely damaged by fire. On July 11, the spire of Rouen Cathedral also caught fire, with firefighters quickly bringing the blaze under control.

On July 12, the Observatoire du Patrimoine Religieux, an association working to preserve and promote France’s religious heritage, told AFP that 27 churches had been burnt down in 2023 and 12 in the first six months of 2024. Attacks on religious monuments in recent years account for around 90% of the 1,000 or so anti-Christian acts recorded annually by the country’s Ministry of Interior.