Notre-Dame des Blancs-Manteaux is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

at 12 Rue des Blancs-Manteaux in

Le Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arr ...

, in the

4th arrondissement of Paris The 4th arrondissement of Paris (''IVe arrondissement'') is one of the twenty arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''quatrième''. Along with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd arrondissement ...

. It takes its name from the "Les Blancs-Manteaux" ("white mantles"), for the cloaks worn by the

mendicant A mendicant (from la, mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many inst ...

Augustinian

Order of Servites The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

, who founded the first church 1258. It was rebuilt between 1685 and 1689 in the

French Baroque French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

or French neoclassical style. It is noted for its remarkable carved wood pulpit (1749) and its collection of paintings and sculpture.

History

The church was founded by the Serfs de Marie, a community of monks founded in 1223 in Marseille, who followed the rules of Saint Augustine, and wore a black robe with a white mantle. With the support of King Louis XIII, they moved to Paris, and were given a large plot of land in the

Marais district The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arr ...

, just outside the city walls, formerly owned by the Order of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. It extended the length of the old rue de la Petite Parchemerie (now rue des Blancs-Manteaux) just outside the city walls in the

. They built their first church there in 1258. Soon afterwards, However, in 1274, the Second Council of Lyon, held by the Vatican, decided to dissolve twenty-two different religious orders, including the Serfs de Marie. The abbey was transferred to the Order of the Brothers of Saint Guillaume of Malval and then, in 1618, to the Benedictine monks of the Order of

Saint Maurus Maurus (french: Maur; it, Mauro) was the first disciple of Benedict of Nursia (512–584). He is mentioned in Gregory the Great's biography of the latter as the first oblate, offered to the monastery by his noble Roman parents as a young bo ...

, who placed the novice monks there for their education. The monks no longer wore the white mantle, but the name "Blancs-Manteaux" stayed with the church. The present church was rebuilt between 1685 and 1690 by architect Charles Duval in the style of

French baroque architecture French Baroque architecture, sometimes called French classicism, was a style of architecture during the reigns of Louis XIII (1610–43), Louis XIV (1643–1715) and Louis XV (1715–74). It was preceded by French Renaissance architecture and Man ...

or French classicism of the reign of

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 ...

. The royal chancellor,

Michel Le Tellier Michel Le Tellier, marquis de Barbezieux, seigneur de Chaville et de Viroflay (19 April 1603 – 30 October 1685) was a French statesman. Biography Le Tellier was born in Paris to a Parisian magistrate, Michel III Le Tellier, and his wife, Clau ...

, laid the first stone in 1685. In 1796-97, During the French Revolution, all the monastic orders were surpressed; the church was pillaged and sold, and the other buildings of the abbey were demolished. IN 1801, under the Concordate of Napoleon Bonaparte with the Pope, the building was returned to the church and restored . In 1863, during

Haussmann's renovation of Paris Haussmann's renovation of Paris was a vast public works programme commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III and directed by his prefect of Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, between 1853 and 1870. It included the demolition of medieval neighbourho ...

under Napoléon III. the church was enlarged. The architect

Victor Baltard Victor Baltard (9 June 180513 January 1874) was a French architect famed for work in Paris including designing Les Halles market and the Saint-Augustin church. Life Victor was born in Paris, son of architect Louis-Pierre Baltard and attended Lyc ...

added an eighth traverse to the structure facing rue des Blancs-Manteaux, and attached the portal and facade of the Church of Saint-Éloi from the

Île de la Cité Île de la Cité (; English: City Island) is an island in the river Seine in the center of Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the Roman governor. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace ...

, which had been demolished to make way for the new Boulevard du Palais. File:Plan de Paris vers 1550 eglise des Blancs-Manteaux.jpg, left, The church and abbey on the 1550 Truschet and Hoyau plan of Paris File:MonastereBlancsManteaux.jpg, The church and abbey in the 17th century File:Anonymous - La façade de l'église des Blancs-Manteaux, 1865 - P1024 - Musée Carnavalet.jpg, Facade in 1865

Exterior

File:Église Notre Dame Blancs Manteaux - Paris IV (FR75) - 2022-06-29 - 5.jpg, The south facade; lower portion originally belonging to another church demolished in 1863 File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux 409.JPG, West side of church and bell tower File:Square-langlois-1.jpg, The abbey fountain from 1719, now on Square Charles-Victor-Langlois. The church is oriented north-south, along the east side of the Square Charles-Victor-Langlois. The major entrance is at the south end, on rue des Blancs-Manteaux, with a secondary entrance on the north at 53 rue des Francs-Bourgeois. The facade of the church was taken from another church, which was demolished during

. It followed the style of 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, the model for Baroque churches across Europe. Built in 1704 on a plan Jean-Sylvain Cartault (1675-1758), the facade was transported stone by stone to the new site in 1863. The architect extended the nave by one traverse to make the junction with the new facade. The facade is composed of elements of two classical orders superimposed; The lower portion has pilasters with capitals of the

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

, while the upper is decorated with pilasters and consoles 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 ...

. All the other buildings of the original Abbey were destroyed after the Revolution, but the fountain, built in 1719. was preserved. It was moved to its present location on the exterior of the church in 1979.

Interior

File:DSCF1924 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux plan rwk.jpg, Plan of the church; Apse and choir to north, at top, and nave and portal below File:P1280119 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux nef rwk.jpg, The nave, looking toward the altar File:P1280123 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux choeur rwk.jpg, Arcades of the choir File:P1280093 Paris IV eglise ND Blancs-Manteaux autel vierge rwk.jpg, The Choir and altar In keeping with the name, the interior of the church is almost entirely white. The he nave is lined with classical columns with fluting, or shallow grooves, and topped with capitals in 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 columns support arcades with rounded arches. Following the medieval tradition, the entablements of the arcades decorated with symbolic bas-reliefs; those on the north represent events of the Old Testament, and those on the South from New Testament. Above these are medallions depicting prominent Saints.

The Chapels

File:Vierge Blancs-Manteaux.JPG, Chapel of the Virgin File:P1280120 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux baptistere rwk1.jpg, The Baptistry File:Refugium Peccatorum Blancs-Manteaux.JPG, Chapel of Notre-Dame des Victoires, with crowned Virgin and child File:P1280115 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux chapelle rwk1.jpg, The Chapel of Saint Anne

Art and Decoration

The Pulpit

File:Chaire Saint Michel terrasse Lucifer.JPG, St. Michael overthrowing the Devil File:Chaire ND Blancs-Manteaux.JPG, The pulpit (1749) File:P1280099 Paris IV eglise ND Blancs-Manteaux chaire detail rwk.jpg, Detail of the marquetry File:P1280114 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux chaire detail rwk.jpg, Marquetry of the stairs The most striking feature of the nave is the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

, of sculpted wood, from which sermons and Biblical texts were read; it was designed so the speaker would be visible and audible to everyone in the church. The pulpit was made in Bavaria in 1749, the German

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style. The stairway is decorated with medallions depicting scenes from the New Testament, made of marquetry encrusted with ivory and metals. On the summit of the pulpit is a sculpture of the Archangel Michael overthrowing the Devil.

Painting and Sculpture

File:P1280117 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux tableau rwk1.jpg, The Manna from Heaven (17th c.) File:P1280115 Paris IV eglise ND des Blancs-Manteaux chapelle rwk1.jpg, "The death of Saint Anne" by Joakim Sandrart (1640) (top) File:Prophète Élie Ange ND Blancs Manteaux.JPG, The Angel and the Prophet Elijah (17th c.) File:P1280185 Paris IV eglise ND Blancs-Manteaux tableau rwk.jpg, "David and the Priest Achimélech" (17th c.) The church possesses a notable collection of sculpture and painting from the 17th century. The paintings of note include "The multiplication of the bread", by

Claude Audran the Younger Claude Audran the Younger (1639–1684), the second son of Claude I, was born at Lyons. He studied drawing with his uncle Charles in Paris, and subsequently went to Rome. On his return he was engaged by Le Brun at Paris, and assisted him in his ...

(1639–1684), depicting a miracle in the Bible by which Christ was able to feed a crowd of several thousand with seven loaves of bread and several fish (Mark 8, verses 1-9). Audran became an assistant to the royal painter

Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French painter, physiognomist, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. As court painter to Louis XIV, who declared him "the greatest French artist of ...

, making frescos for the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

and for 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 ...

Stained Glass

File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux Chorfenster 640.JPG, Upper windows of the choir File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux Vitrail 412.JPG, Lantern window ) (1940s) File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux Kreuz 238.JPG File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux Vitrail 641.JPG, King Louis IX (Saint Louis) founds the monastery in 1685 (window made in 1946) File:Paris Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux Vitrail 242.JPG, Depiction of the transfer of the abbey from the White Mantles to Guillaumites The original stained glass disappeared with the first church during the Revolution. The present stained glass is from the mid-20th century.

Organ and organ case

File:Les grandes orgues, Eglise des Blancs-Manteaux, Paris 2015.jpg, The grand organ File:P1280184 Paris IV eglise ND Blancs Manteaux orgue buffet rwk.jpg, Portal below the case of the organ File:P1280104 Paris IV eglise ND Blancs-Manteaux orgue buffet detail rwk.jpg, Detail of the organ case The organ is a modern instrument made in the north German style by the firm of Kern, inaugurated in 1968. It features three keyboards and forty-two "Jeux" or organ stops. The church as an additional organ located in the choir. The organ case is classified as an object of historic importance by the French Ministry of Culture. The organ case was designed by M. Baltard to be in harmony the porch interior, dating from the 17th century. The decoration of the organ case was carried out between 1831 and 1867. The tribune was created in 1863 by the architect Varcollier, re-using finely carved woodwork coming from the Abbey of Saint Victor, which was demolished in 1795 during the French Revolution. The works of the entrance include a gallery of six carved columns with Ionic order capitals. The portal itself is framed in finely carved wooden sculpture.
itation of protected object by the French Ministry of Culture.

References

Bibliography (in French)

*Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle; ''Églises de Paris'' (2017), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, (in French)

External links

Website of the Church
"Patrimoine-Histoire.fr" Site on the art and history of church (in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux Roman Catholic churches in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux Roman Catholic churches completed in 1285 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1690 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France