Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption is a Roman Catholic church in the First arrondissement of Paris,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The building was constructed between 1670 and 1676 when it was consecrated. Since 1844 it has been the main

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

church of Paris, situated at 263,

Rue Saint-Honoré The rue Saint-Honoré is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is named after the collegial situated in ancient times within the cloisters of Saint-Honoré. The street, on which are located a number of museums and upscale bou ...

History

In the 17th century, a house belonging to the

Jesuit order , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

on the corner of Rue Saint-Honoré and what is now Place Maurice-Barrès, was ceded to the women's religious order of the "Ladies of the Assumption" ("Dames de l'Assomption") who transformed the site into a convent under the aegis of architect

Charles Errard Charles Errard the Younger (; 1606–25 May 1689) was a French painter, architect and engraver, co-founder and later director of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. In 1666 Louis XIV's minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert sent him to fo ...

in 1670. He, it appears, keen on Italian art and its relics from Antiquity and the Renaissance used them as inspiration for the project, in addition to his own style. As he was detained in Rome doing his research, the execution of the building was assured by a M. Chéret, the

clerk of works A clerk of works or clerk of the works (CoW) is employed by an architect or a client on a construction site. The role is primarily to represent the interests of the client in regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship are ...

. On his return, in the face of criticisms of the work, Charles Errard blamed Chéret for having modified his plans. Subsequently the convent of "Les Dames de l'Assomption" was used as a refuge into the religious life by certain well-born women from the Royal Court under the Ancien Régime. When 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 ...

struck, the building became military barracks in 1793. After the

French Restoration The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history during which the House of Bourbon returned to power after the first fall of Napoleon on 3 May 1814. Briefly interrupted by the Hundred Days War in 1815, the Restoration lasted until the J ...

, the abandoned building was donated by

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Affre to the

Polish Catholic Mission The Polish Catholic Mission, pl, Polska Misja Katolicka, (PMK) is a permanent Catholic chaplaincy for migrant Poles. It operates in a number of countries under the direction of the Polish Episcopal Conference. England and Wales History The or ...

in 1844 for use by the many Polish migrants in Paris at that time. In 1907 the church was listed as an historical monument.

The church organ

The organ dates from the end of the 19th century. It was designed by the renowned

organ-builder Organ building is the profession of designing, building, restoring and maintaining pipe organs. The organ builder usually receives a commission to design an organ with a particular disposition of stops, manuals, and actions, creates a de ...

Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (; 4 February 1811 – 13 October 1899) was a French organ builder. He has the reputation of being the most distinguished organ builder of the 19th century. He pioneered innovations in the art and science of organ buildi ...

References

External links

* http://www.paris.catholique.fr/-eglise-notre-dame-de-l-assomption-.html (French)
Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption
(Polish)
musicamsacram.pl - Organ description
(Polish) *

{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in the 1st arrondissement of Paris Polish diaspora in Europe France–Poland relations

History

The church organ

See also

References

External links