Located at 6, rue Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, in the

2nd arrondissement of Paris The 2nd arrondissement of Paris (''IIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''deuxième'' (second/the second). It is governed locally ...

, The Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is one of ten minor basilicas located in the

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

region of France. It was begun as an Abbey church, and constructed between 1629 and 1740 in the French classical style. Its name was given by

King Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

, who dedicated it to his victory over the Protestants at

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

in 1628 during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...

. Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is famous for the

ex voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

offerings left there by the faithful. Over 37,000 devotional plaques, silver and gold hearts, as well as military decorations, have been left at the basilica. The closest Métro station is ' Bourse'.

History

17th and 18th century

In 1629 the Shoeless Augustians, so-called because of their vows of poverty, and colloquially referred to as the "''Petits Pères''", established a convent, Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, on three

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s of land located at the intersection of the Place des Petits-Pères and Rue de la Banque. 1629–1740. The first stone was laid by King

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

, who dedicated he church as a monument to his victories over the Protestants, particularly the

Siege of La Rochelle The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–28. The siege marked the height of the struggle between the Catholics and the ...

in 1628. The first church was soon too small for the rapidly-growing parish, so construction of a larger church began in 1656, with a plan by

Pierre Le Muet Pierre Le Muet (7 October 1591 – 28 September 1669)Mignot 1996. was a French architect, military engineer, and writer, famous for his book ''Manière de bâtir pour toutes sortes de personnes'' (1623 and 1647), and for the châteaux he construc ...

. One hundred eleven years passed, and four other architects,

Libéral Bruant Libéral Bruant (''ca'' 1635 – Paris, 22 November 1697), was a French architect best known as the designer of the Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, which is now dominated by the dome erected by Jules Hardouin Mansart, his collaborator in earlier st ...

, Robert Boudin, Gabriel Leduc and Sylvain Cartaud were engaged. Cartaud contributed the expanded nave, the facade. and the domed roof. The new church was finally consecrated in 1740. In 1778

Wolfgang Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

prayed in the church.

Late 18th-19th century

The church became famous for its library, which had more than forty-thousand works. However, during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, the church was closed, and the library was scattered. The church was used as the headquarters of the national lottery, then was occupied as the first home of the Paris Bourse, or stock market, It was not returned to the church until 1809. The other buildings of the monastery were destroyed in 1858 and a police station as well as an office for the mayor of the arrondissement were constructed in their place. The church was closed and pillaged again during the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

in 1871. After 1809 Notre Dame des Victoires became a parish church, but as it was located in a business area, it had few parishioners. The curé Charles-Éléonore Dufriche-Desgenettes thought he had failed in his ministry and wanted to resign his functions in Our Lady of Victories when on the 3 December 1836, during the Consecration of the Mass, he received what he believed to be an instantaneous and complete intellectual infusion of the requirements, rules and activities for the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from the Blessed

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

who also inspired Fr. Desgenettes to consecrate the parish to her Immaculate Heart and to invite men living and working in the parish area to come to a meeting (500 men came to the first meeting). At the meeting Fr. Desgenettes invited the men to wear a White Scapular with an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the words "SWEET HEART OF MARY BE MY SALVATION" on the front scapular and the symbols and words "REFUGE OF SINNERS, PRAY FOR US" on the back scapular. They initially called this parish men's group: the Confraternity of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners. Fr. Desgenettes wrote down his entire inspiration and immediately submitted it to the Holy See. Only two years later, in 1838, Pope Gregory XVI approved and established the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. By 1870, there were 22 million members of this

archconfraternity An archconfraternity ( es, archicofradía) is a Catholic confraternity, empowered to aggregate or affiliate other confraternities of the same nature, and to impart to them its benefits and privileges. History In 1569, Charles Borromeo started ar ...

worldwide and a

religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...

founded by Saint Anthony Mary Claret, the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, aka

Claretians , image = Herb CMF.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = Coat of arms of the Claretians , abbreviation = CMF , nickname = Claretians , formation = , founders = Anto ...

or Claretian Missionary Fathers (CMF). Many of the famous French Catholics of the period maintained a connection to the church. These included

Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne image:Alphonse Ratisbonne 1865.jpg, Father Ratisbonne in 1865 Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne, Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, N.D.S., (1 May 1814, Strasbourg, Alsace, France – 6 May 1884, Ein Karem, Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire) was a ...

, Ven. Francis Libermann and the refounders of the

Holy Ghost Fathers , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

and a whole host of foreign mission seminarians and priests, including St. Theophane Venard. Cardinal

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...

went there to give thanks for his conversion, which had been the subject of prayer there. Later, the young Therese Martin prayed before the same statue for Our Lady's help in realizing her vocation. In 1836 the church was rededicated by Abbot Charles Desgenettes to the

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

of the Virgin Mary. This was formally approved by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...

. The church was raised to the status of a minor basilica by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

in 1927. The church now serves as a place of prayer for the rector and clergy of the Community of

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Sacré-Cœur, Paris The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre (Sacred Heart of Montmartre), commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (french: Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, pronounced ), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Par ...

Exterior

File:P1260812 Paris II basilique ND Victoires facade rwk.jpg, The fronton, with Corinthian capitals on the pilasters File:Basilique Notre Dame Victoires - Paris II (FR75) - 2021-06-16 - 2.jpg, The facade File:P1260810 Paris II basilique ND Victoire facade gloire rwk.jpg, Detail of the portal, depicting a flight of angels The facade of the church was completed in 1737 by the architect Jean-Sylvain Cartault in the French classical style, borrowed from the

Church of the Gesù , image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque , mapframe = yes , mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a fulls ...

in Rome, and very popular for churches in Paris in the late 17th century and early 18th century. Built after the model of a Roman temple, the lower level is decorated with pilasters, or shallow decorative columns built into the wall, with capitals of the

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

, while the pilasters of the upper level have the acanthus leaf decoration of the

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

. The corners of the facade are braced with sloping buttresses in the form of reversed consoles, which are topped by obelisks or small towers. At the top is a triangular fronton with decoration of sculpted palm leaves and drapery. It displays the royal coat-of-arms with fleurs-des-lis, , surrounded by a cordon representing the Order of the Holy Spirit. At the top, just below the cross, is a crown representing King Louis XIII and his victories, from which the church takes its name. The clock on the front of the church was made by Augustin Henry-Lepaute in 1886. It replaced a clock made by Niot & Chaponnel was installed circa 1827 having won a bronze medal.

Interior

Nave and Choir

File:Basilique ND des Victoires Messe.JPG, Transept and choir during a mass File:Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Paris Plan.gif, Plan of the church (Choir to left, transept in center, nave and chapels to right) File:Paris-Notre Dame des Victoires-104-zum Chor-2017-gje.jpg, The nave, looking toward the choir, with chapels on both sides The interior of the church is 62 meters long and 24.5 meters wide, with a height to the vaults of 15 meters. The long nave is lined with columns creating an arcade with rounded arches. It is inspired by the Church of the Jesu in Rome, bringing the congregation in the nave closer to the altar. The choir, where the clergy are seated, occupies a third of the church, and features finely-carved stalls from the 17th century along both sides. The interior decoration combines elements of the classical style, including cornices decorated with sculpted roses and columns with capitals of the

, with sculptural decoration in the Baroque style; garlands of flowers, seashells and cherubs. The altar is a 20th century work, designed by Madeleine Diener (1930-2000). It features sculpted portraits of eleven important religious figures from the 19th century whose work was connected Notre-Dame-des-VIctoires, such as Emmanuel d'alcon, founder of the Congregation of Augustins of the Assumption. On top of the altar is crucifix carved from a single piece of ivory in the 17th century.

Vaults

File:Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires @ Paris (30901955740).jpg, Transept vault - a flight of angels File:Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires @ Paris (31154718631).jpg, Decoraterd ceiling vault The ceiling vaults are decorated with very expressive sculpture. The central vault over the transept features a flight of angels, while others merge Christian symbols and decorative designs.

Chapels

File:Paris arr2 Notre Dame des Victoires Marienaltar Querhaus E 0960 201310.jpg, Chapel of the Virgin File:Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Paris Chapelle de la Vierge 102018 4.jpg, Detail of Chapel of Virgin File:P1260818 Paris II ND des Victoires BR vierge de pitie rwk.jpg, Chapel of Notre Dame of the Seven Sorrows File:Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires @ Paris (31125289012).jpg, Chapel of the Sacred Heart (1870) Chapels are located on both sides of the nave and the transept. Each chapelshas a central collateral aisle which makes it possible to pass from chapel to chapel. -The Chapel of the Virgin is the largest chapel, located at the transept, and is dedicated to the Sacred and Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary. It is decorated with a statue of Mary holding the Christ child, both wearing crowns. By tradition, Special permission had to be sought from the Pope to present the figures with crowns. The statues are of plaster, and the sculptor is unknown. The chapel also displays a painting of the Annunciation by Charles-Louis Muller (1815-1892). Above the statue is the largest and most colorful stained glass window in the church, entitled "Our Lady - Refuge for Sinners." -The Chapel of Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, features a Bas-Relief of Saint Anne, "The Education of the Virgin", by Jacquier (1878). -The Chapel of Saint John features a statue of Saint John made of gilded cast iron. File:P1260820 Paris II ND des Victoires chapelle detail rwk.jpg, Saint Anne with the infant Virgin Mary, Chapel of Saint Anne File:Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires @ Paris (31154866661).jpg, Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist File:P1260823 Paris II ND des Victoires statue et fresques rwk.jpg, Chapel of

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

File:Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Paris September 2011 05.jpg, Gallery of

Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...

- The Chapel of the Sacred Heart features a bas-relief depicting the appearance of Christ and the Sacred Heart to Marguerite-Marie Alacoque at Paray-le-Monail in France in the 19th century. The sculpture was made by Jacquier (1870). -The Chapel of Notre-Dame of the Seven Sorrows features a Pieta of Christ and the crucified Christ, made of the stone of Caen by Charles Gonthier (1876). - The Chapel of Saint Augustine presents a statue of the Saint, in plaster, by Jean-Bernard Duseigneur (1849). It took the place of an earlier statue by

Jean-Baptiste Pigalle Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (26 January 1714 – 20 August 1785) was a French sculptor. Life Pigalle was born in Paris, the seventh child of a carpenter. Although he failed to obtain the ''Prix de Rome'', after a severe struggle he entered the ''Ac ...

which disappeared during the French Revolution. Above this chapel is another large-scale coloured stained glass windows, "The Vow of Louis XIII", showing the King promising the construction of a church to the Virgin Mary. A more recent Saint,

(1873-1897), a young French Carmelite nun of the 19th century, popularly known in English as "The Little Flower of Jesus", is honored in the Chapel of Saint Therese.

Ex votos

Notre Dame des-Victoires 3.JPG Image:Notre Dame des-Victoires 14.JPG Image:Notre Dame des-Victoires 20.JPG Image:Notre Dame des-Victoires 21.JPG Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is unique among Paris churches in its display of

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

offering left their by faithful parishoners, thanking the Virgin Mary for blessings they have received. It currently displays over thirty-seven thousand devotional plaques which cover most of the walls, as well as silver and gold hearts and military decorations. Over 37,000 devotional plaques, silver and gold hearts, as well The basilica once served as a stational church along the pilgrimage route to Compostela. As such, many of the

offerings were left by faithful unable to make the long journey to the Shrine of Compostela itself.

Stained Glass

The stained glass of the church dates to the second half of the 19th century. The eight windows on the upper of the nave were made with decorative patterns of

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; french: grisaille, lit=greyed , from ''gris'' 'grey') is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many g ...

, designed to provide a maximum of light, with colorful figures of saints associated with the Virgin in the center. In summer, the portal doors were also left open, to bring more light inside. File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires166.JPG, Louis XIII and the Queen promise to build a church to honour the Virgin Mary File:P1260827 Paris II ND des Victoires vitrail rwk.jpg, Virgin and Child File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires152.JPG, The Crucifixion File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires168.JPG, The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires172.JPG, The Apostle John

Art and Decoration

File:Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires @ Paris (31154858531).jpg, The Choir and Altar, paintings by

Charles-André van Loo Carle or Charles-André van Loo (; 15 February 1705 – 15 July 1765) was a French painter, son of the painter Louis-Abraham van Loo, a younger brother of Jean-Baptiste van Loo and grandson of Jacob van Loo. He was the most famous member of a su ...

, and stalls for the clergy File:Life of Saint Augustine by Carle VanLoo.jpg, Scenes from life of

(left side behind altar) File:Notre Dame des Victoires St. Mary.jpg, "The Immaculate Conception" by Jules Pasqualini (1820-1886) The most notable artistic decoration of the choir is a group of seven large paintings behind the altar by

(1705-1765), which are considered among the most important French religious art works of the 18th century. The central painting depicts "Louis XIII dedicating Notre-Dame-des-Victoires to the Virgin Mary", holding a palm in one hand as a sign of his victories over the Protestants, and showing the Virgin the plan for the future church. The other paintings behind th altar depict scenes from the life of Saint Augustine. File:Basilique ND des Victoires buste.jpg, Bust of composer

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...

attributed to the court sculptor

Antoine Coysevox Charles Antoine Coysevox ( or ; 29 September 164010 October 1720), was a French sculptor in the Baroque and Louis XIV style, best known for his sculpture decorating the gardens and Palace of Versailles and his portrait busts. Biography Coysevo ...

File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Taufbecken173.JPG, Marble Baptismal Font (17th century) File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Kanzel177.JPG, The pulpit by Louis Regnier (18th c.) The church interior contains a cenotaph, a portion of the tomb of

, court composer for

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

and collaborator of Moliere. His home was in the parish, and his His tomb, made by Pierre Cotton, was placed there in 1687. The tomb was destroyed during the

, but some portions survived and are now displayed between the Chapel of Saint John and the Chapel of the Sacred Infant. There are two busts of Lully there, a bronze bust on top by Jean Collignon, and a 17th century bust attributed to the court sculptor

, whose work has a prominent place at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

. The elaborate carvings on the pulpit were made by Louis Regnier, who also created the decorative carvings surrounding the organ case.

Organ

The pipe organ on the tribune over the entrance of the church was constructed by Lesclop in 1739, with modifications and additions by Barker in 1870, Abbey in 1898, and Kern in 1973. The case of the organ was made by Louis Regnier in 1739. It features elaborate carved sculpture of vases, angels and musical instruments. He also made the carved decoration found on the pulpit of the church.Dumoulin (2017), p. 46 File:P1260828 Paris II ND des Victoire orgue detail rwk.jpg, Detail of the carved decoration of the organ (18th c.) File:Victoireorg.jpg, Organ of the tribune (18th c.) File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Orgel185.JPG, Carved decoration around organ of tribune

References

External links

Basilica Website
"Patrimoine-Histoire.fr" Site on the art and history (in French)

Photo Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Notre-Dame-des-Victoires 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Augustinian churches in France Votive churches