Auchel is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France.
An ex-mining town, nowadays a light industrial & farming commune, situated 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of Béthune and 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E roads.
Following the discovery of coal deposits in the area in 1851, the town grew as the demand for
coal increased in France. This old mining town had close to 15,000 inhabitants in the 1950s.
The coal recession in the late 1960s lead to a constant decline in population, despite the efforts of the municipality to attract and keep people here during and after the recession.
The inhabitants are called Auchellois.
Auchel is twinned with:
Auchel is the birthplace of:
Sovereign are you, Lord, you who sit upon the throne,
Father, Son and Spirit, perfect trinity you are.
Through your word you’ve created the heavens and the Earth,
You command what you will, and you grant what you command.
Total dominion,
Above you no one dwells,
Master majestic,
You conquered death and Hell.
Incarnate Word, born into the world that you created,
Son of God most high came to Earth and became low,
A mother made by her own child,
We marvel at your awesome plan.
Then became… (then became)
Rejected by the builders then became He the cornerstone,
Beautiful saviour, the grave couldn’t hold you down.
Torn now is the veil,
And now you call to me, to come to you,
Your body torn for me,
Your blood was shed for me, and now I know the way is through the veil.
The debt of the sinner can only be paid with blood,
Holy wrath and anger; forgiven through Christ alone.
Torn now is the veil,
And now you call to me, to come to you,
Your body torn for me,
Your blood was shed for me, and now the only way is through…
Torn now is the veil,
Glory to glory, he’s transforming me,
All honour and all praise unto the holy one,