Office de Tourisme Cassel Horizons

The road which links to Cassel to Wemaers Cappel is one of the steepest and the most winding ones. It is one of the seven Roman roads which radiate out around the city of the Menapii. This one went towards Watten and Wissant.

At the crossroads of Route de la Ceinture, in the middle of meadows, there is a jewel: the church which is one of the oldest ones of the Westhoek region. It is old by its vocable (name of saint): it is dedicated to Saint Martin; but also by its first plan: a basilica with three naves with a flat ceiling of which there are only the big piles of breeze blocks left. These piles supported the arches in the middle of the curve. They form the central part of the building and the occidental front. They are Romanesque elements which date from the 12^th century, even perhaps from the 11^th century. The small picture windows of this nave are useless because the aisles were widened to the lateral walls and the roofing covers the entire building. The chancel and the chapel (located in the left side of the chancel) were certainly private and dedicated to the lord. They were rebuilt around the 15^th century according to the gothic style of the pilaster which supports the arches which separate them.

Within this sober architecture, the baroque furniture distinguishes by its glory and exuberance: altarpieces, communion pew, etc. The high altar is also an untypical construction: series of twisted columns are reflected in a mirror.

The pulpit, even if it was sculpted in the middle of the 18^th century, was decorated with plump and chubby-checked cherubs. They seem coming from a painting of Rubens.

A small bas-relief (historic monument) is recessed in a pilaster on the right side of the chancel. This is a gravestone.

It was sculpted in 1517 and reminds the memory of a monk, Adrien Stinte. He is on his knees in front of the saint-patron of his abbey in Bergues, Saint Winoc. He told him in Latin: “Father, it is Adrien”. We can recognize him thanks to the anvil he is carrying and the lion which is sleeping near his feet. The monument must have been sculpted in anticipation, because the date of the death of the priest is not carved on the gravestone.

Under one of the altars, we can see an entombment from the 18^th century, Christ lying is surrounded by saint women.