Saint-Michel Church, Havre

The first church of St. Joseph, dating from 1873, was destroyed during the bombings of September 5, 1944. The new parish church, dedicated to the memory of the victims of these bombings, was built by Auguste Perret, chief architect in charge of rebuilding Le Havre, and Raymond Audigier, architect from Le Havre. Begun in 1951, the shell of the church was completed in 1957, three years after Perret's death. The church was consecrated in 1964. Made of reinforced concrete and designed on a plan based on square modules, the building is topped by a 107-metre high tower, the city's spiritual beacon. The glass roofs of this tower, with its symbolic colours, by the master glassmaker Marguerite Huré, are installed by Freret and Garel du Havre. The sculptures are the work of Guy Verdoya.

The building, completed in 1630, underwent several phases of destruction, leading to modifications. The first one in 1694, when it was burnt down by the English. The second came with the bombings of 1944, which led to a major destruction of the building. Auguste Perret, architect, is in charge of the restoration of the church, completed in 1992.

Building consecrated in 1839, then enlarged in 1865. The German army damaged the church in the 1940s. It also underwent modifications in the 2000s, following an urban rehabilitation plan.