On October 18, 2024, the inauguration of the renovated forecourt and bridge of the Abbey Tower of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, a historic monument from the 17th century, took place.
This ambitious project, undertaken as part of the complete restoration of the city’s Grand’ Place, mobilized traditional and complementary know-how (stone cutting, masonry, fountain work, electricity, etc.). For a year, craftsmen and experts worked tirelessly to restore this jewel of Baroque architecture to its former glory.
PRECISION LED contributed to this project by providing various lighting solutions for the tower’s forecourt and its bridge.
In addition to an inauguration bringing together representatives of the companies that contributed to this project to enhance our regional and national historical heritage, local representatives and elected officials, as well as the population, a grandiose musical and pyrotechnic show took place that day, replayed identically the next day to be seen by as many people as possible.
Highlighting the Abbey Tower and its Historic Bridge from the 17th century
The Abbey Tower of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, listed as a historic monument, is 82 metres high and was built between 1626 and 1640. An architectural gem in the Baroque style, it was a provocation to Protestant austerity at the time. Its architecture is also typical of the Flanders and Nord region.
As part of the renovation project of the Grand Place in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, preventive excavations carried out in 2019 by INRAP revealed not far from the tower a bridge also dating from the 17th century, a real archaeological treasure. This bridge was rebuilt identically, with a slight displacement to align it with the Tower of the abbey abbey.
The DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) validated this restoration, guaranteeing the historical integrity of the whole consisting of the abbey tower, the bridge and the forecourt.
In order to highlight this completely renovated forecourt, PRECISON LED had the opportunity to provide our lighting expertise to enhance this emblematic place. Our work was done in collaboration with Hainaut Électricité, with the participation of Goossaert Électricité and AL Habitat for the installation.
Our role extended from advice to the supply of technical solutions and lighting equipment. Each step was designed to combine aesthetics and respect for the technical constraints related to listed historical monuments, as these photos show:
Among our achievements for this project, we have notably ensured:
- Linear lighting of marble steps for an elegant highlighting of the path.
- Linear lighting of marble steps for an elegant highlighting of the path.
- The integration of lighting into the blue stone railings, perfectly matching the ‘existing architecture.
- Installing Acclaim Lighting Recessed RGBW Lighting , allowing you to play on the lighting atmospheres.
- Installation of IP68 18W Acclaim Lighting Aqua Drum spotlights under the bridge, designed to operate in immersion in water.
- Setting up a DMX control RDM, for precise management of lighting and visual effects.
This heritage enhancement project would not have been possible without the mobilization of an exceptional team composed of craftsmen with ancestral know-how such as stonemasons, masons, fountain makers, cabinetmakers, and specialists in modern technologies, such as the integration of connected lighting, an area of expertise of our company.
We can also mention the architectural firm Nathalie T’kint and her architect Mathieu Cramet who managed the file.
The construction site, which lasted a month for our part, was marked by several technical challenges. Compliance with the requirements related to historic monuments, the integration of immersive lighting under the bridge, and tight deadlines were obstacles that the teams of the various participating companies overcame.
The final result is a success, marking a new step in the preservation of the heritage of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, a transmission to future generations of the historical, artistic and architectural testimonies bequeathed by our ancestors.
An inauguration in the presence of representatives of the city, the department and the region
The project received a total of €2 million in funding, including €403,100 from 743 donors, 80% of whom were individuals, while the State, the Hauts-de-France Region and the Departmental Council contributed €1,250,000, with €400,000 being paid by the municipality.
An inauguration ceremony was needed that matched these investments, the work accomplished and the history of the place. It brought together several elected officials and local representatives: the Prefect of the North, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, Jean-Michel Michalak representing the Hauts-de-France Region, the Mayor of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux Alain Bocquet, accompanied by his municipal councillor Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the French Communist Party.
The ceremony was also honoured by the presence of the Knights of the Tower, an emblematic brotherhood which defends and promotes the heritage of the Abbey Tower.
To celebrate the end of this work, the town of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux organised a grand evening. After the tower’s chimes rang out and the whole square was plunged into darkness, the Aquatic Opera Show began. A thirty-minute show that amazed the audience present with a uniquely high-quality staging set around the recently restored Pont du Siècle, and facing the magnificently illuminated abbey tower.
Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is not a spa town for nothing: two 16-metre-long pools served as the backdrop for an aquatic ballet, where illuminated and choreographed water jets captivated the spectators.
Accompanying this performance, 140 singers from several local choirs, including the Union Chorale, the Maîtres Chanteurs, and Amandichoeurs, joined forces to offer an unforgettable show.
The videos of their performances were projected directly onto the tower!
We will remember a magnificently performed Carmina Burana incorporating touches of modernity, symbolizing the link between past and present that this renovation project represents.
The highlight of the evening was the performance of Julie Prayez, lyric singer, who transformed the classical opera into an electro experience, mixing modernity and tradition. Her interpretation of Carmen in front of water jets, pyrotechnic and light effects impressed the entire audience present.
An XXL show worthy of the event, combining history and modernity
To celebrate the end of this work, the town of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux organised a grand evening. After the tower’s chimes rang out and the whole square was plunged into darkness, the Aquatic Opera Show began. A thirty-minute show that amazed the audience present with a uniquely high-quality staging set around the recently restored Pont du Siècle, and facing the magnificently illuminated abbey tower.
Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is not a spa town for nothing: two 16-metre-long pools served as the backdrop for an aquatic ballet, where illuminated and choreographed water jets captivated the spectators.
Accompanying this performance, 140 singers from several local choirs, including the Union Chorale, the Maîtres Chanteurs, and Amandichoeurs, joined forces to offer an unforgettable show.
The videos of their performances were projected directly onto the tower!
We will remember a magnificently performed Carmina Burana incorporating touches of modernity, symbolizing the link between past and present that this renovation project represents.
The highlight of the evening was the performance of Julie Prayez, lyric singer, who transformed the classical opera into an electro experience, mixing modernity and tradition. Her interpretation of Carmen in front of water jets, pyrotechnic and light effects impressed the entire audience present.
Here is a video where we have gathered the highlights of the Aquatic Opera Show, which was replayed identically the next day, October 19, 2024.
A Monument Soon to Be Recognized as Part of UNESCO’s World Heritage?
Listed as a historic monument in 1846 by Prosper Mérimée, then inspector general of historic monuments and founder of the Commission des monuments historiques in 1837, the Abbey Tower of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is a jewel of regional and French heritage.
In 2025, it should be in the running for the prestigious title of “Favorite Monument of the French” (show presented by Stéphane Bern, on France 2), a national recognition that would highlight the importance of this building.
The mayor of the city, Alain Bocquet, has even expressed his hope of seeing the tower listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an ambitious project that would crown years of efforts to preserve this emblematic monument.
Contact us if you are interested in any project to illuminate buildings or monuments, and to beautify the historical and architectural heritage.
You can find on the website of the town hall of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux a video presenting the complete project.