" The Château de la Viergette:
It was at the end of the 1870s that Léon Taffin de Givenchy (1826-1914) and his wife Louise de Saint-Just (1825-1894). undertake the construction of the Château de la Viergette surrounded by its farm (now owned by Mr. Dominique Lambriquet), its Conciergerie (now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Didier Vandaele), its vast grounds and its magnificent park decorated with a pond where birds nest.
Léon Taffin de Givenchy is none other than the uncle of the great perfumer Hubert Taffin de Givenchy better known under the name of Hubert de Givenchy who died in March 2018.
Hilaire and Marie Harynck bought the estate after the Great War. The castle was in a state of disrepair. The English troops had occupied it and transformed it into a country residence where the Tommies could happily relax. The heirs sellers will ask for its demolition.
The pilasters and the gates at the entrance to the estate remain the only witnesses of this rich heritage of Eperlecques' past.
The statue of the Viergette:
Above the main gate of the castle was the statue of the Viergette which was transferred to the farm during the demolition. In 1955, the farm was sold and thus left the heritage of the Harynck family.
Alfred and Madeleine Delbreuve-Harynck, heirs to the Château Conciergerie, decided to build a chapel to house the precious relic. She will be blessed with great ceremonial pomp in September 1955.
The chapel of the Viergette today:
This chapel adorns the walkers' route. In May, it becomes a place of pilgrimage and prayer. A restoration of the building has proved necessary because of the wear and tear of time and damage caused by the passage of agricultural machinery. Renovation work was carried out in 2018 by the descendant of the Delbreuve-Harynck family: Didier Vandaele. The chapel has regained its splendor and the Virgin its expression, thanks to the talent of Christine Van Ast, an artist from Dunkirk.
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