The Church of Les Billettes is a Lutheran church located at 22 rue des Archives in the

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

. Built as a Catholic church in the 18th century, it adjoins the 15th century cloister of the Abbey of the Hospitaliers of the Charity of Notre Dame, also known as the Billettes. The 15th century church was demolished, except for the cloister, and replaced by the new church In 1808, Under Napoleon I, it became a Protestant Lutheran church. The church is built in the Neoclassiscal style, while the earlier adjoining cloister is

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

. The name of the church refers to the monks in the old abbey, who were known as the "Freres Billettes". To identify their order they wore an emblem called a billette. The most famous feature of the church is the cloister, adjoining the church, dating from the 15h century. It is the only medieval cloister in Paris surviving in its original state.Dumoulin, "Églises de Paris" (2017), pp. 58-59

History

The legend and the first church

Before the church was built, the site was occupied by an earlier chapel, built in 1295, known as "The Chapel of Miracles". According to the legend of the church, the site was originally occupied by the home of a Jewish merchant named Jonas. On Easter Sunday, April 2, 1290, Jonas had tried to profane Easter by piercing the host, the bread symbolizing the body of Christ, with a knife; the host bled the blood of Christ. He put it into boiling water, but it turned the water into blood. He threw it into the fire, but it flew away. The host was found outside some time later by a neighbor, and was preserved as a sacred object until the Revolution. Jonas was arrested and convicted of

sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...

, and was burned at the stake. His house was confiscated and demolished. The story was repeated in Medieval chronicles, and the site became a destination for pilgrims. In 1299 the Chapel of Miracles was built on the same site to commemorate the event. King Philippe IV of France invited the order of the Charity of Notre Dame, also known as the Billettes, to arrange services in the new church. The church continued to attract large numbers of pilgrims. It was rebuilt on a larger scale in 1405, and a cemetery and cloister were added in 1427.Cachau, Philippe, L’Eglise Des Carrmes-Billettes de Paris; Une Eglise d'apres Jacques Harouin-Mansart de Sagonne (1744-1758)

17th-19th century church

In 1633, the abbey and church were taken over by a new order, the Carmelites of the Observance of Rennes, also known as the Carmes-Billettes. In 1742 the Carmes-Billettes began construction of a larger church. They chose the architect

Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne (26 July 1711, Paris - 27 September 1778, Paris) was a French architect. He was the illegitimate son of Jacques Hardouin-Mansart, comte de Sagonne, by his mistress Madeleine Duguesny - Jacques and Madeleine marr ...

(1711-1778), grandson of

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gra ...

, founder of the famed Mansard dynasty of architects. At that time Mansard de Sagonne was building the

Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Versailles Versailles Cathedral (French: ''Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Versailles'') is a Roman Catholic church located in Versailles, France. It is a national monument. It is the seat of the Bishop of Versailles, created as a constitutional bishopric in 179 ...

for King Louis XV at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. He designed a larger church for Les Billettes, which increased the number of worshippers from 960 to 1200. Construction of the new church lasted from 1754 until 1758. From the original medieval church only the cloister was preserved. During the French Revolution, the church was closed and sold. The cloister was used as a workshop for carpenters, while the church was used to store salt. In 1808, the Emperor Napoleon authorized the city of Paris to buy the church, which was then transferred to the Consistory of the Lutheran Church, which was looking for a Paris home.

The cloister

THe cloister is the only surviving part of the earlier medieval Chapel of Miracles. It was built in 1427, and was restored to its original form in 1968. It is composed of four galleries of arcades, supported by octagonal columns. The traverses are covered with Gothic rib vaults formed by pointed arches, The keystones of the vaults are decorated with sculpture. File:Cloître des Billettes @ Marais @ Paris (31706379835).jpg, Courtyard of the cloister File:Église des Billettes (13).JPG, Interior of the cloister File:P1370833 Paris IV cloitre des Billettes rwk.jpg, Detail of the cloister

Exterior

The facade of the church is in the

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

, rising up in two levels. The lower level has Doric pilasters around the portal, while the upper level has

Corinthian style The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

pilasters. The triangular

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

at the top of the facade is in a fragile condition and is protected by a tarpaulin, which hides the decoration.
Site on history and art of the church (in French) File:P1370840 Paris IV cloitre des Billettes rwk.jpg, The cloister exterior File:Église des Billettes (17).JPG, The facade and bell tower File:Église luthérienne des Billettes.jpg, The church at night

Interior

The interior of the church is in the

. The choir is round, surrounded with pilasters in the

, . It is topped with a circle of windows with white glass, with a dome above. The windows and pilasters continue along the upper walls of the church to the portal. There are two levels of balconies or tribunes along the sides in the nave, supported by ionic style pillars. The church originally had only one level of balconies; the upper was added in 1824 by the Duchess of Orleans, who was an important patron of the church. Her Box (theatre), loge had a separate concealed entrance, so she could come and go easily. In keeping with the doctrine of the Lutheran church, the decoration of the choir is extremely simple; only the most essential elements are present; an altar, candles, a crucifix, and a lectern. The altar and lectern are recent creations made by Philippe Keppelin in the 20th century. The organ of the church is found in the tribune at the end of the nave, over the portal. It is a modern instrument, made by the factor Mülheisen in 1982–1983. File:Rue des Archives-Eglise des Billettes-Inside-2.JPG, Dome of the choir File:Rue des Archives-Eglise des Billettes-Inside-1.JPG, Tribunes of the nave File:Rue des Archives-Eglise des Billettes-Inside-3.JPG, Upper window File:Rue des Archives-Eglise des Billettes-Organ.JPG, The portal and the organ

Art and decoration

The decoration of the church is rather austere, following Lutheran tradition, but it does contain three notable paintings from the 17th century: * ''The Good Samaritan'' and ''The Healing of the blind man of Jericho'', both painted by

Johann Carl Loth Johann Carl Loth (Baptized 8 August 1632 – 6 October 1698) was a German Baroque painter who spent most of his life in Venice. His name is also rendered as Johann Karl, Karel and, in Italy, Carlotto or Carlo Lotti.Mannerism Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

. * ''Christ on the Cross'' by

Lubin Baugin Lubin Baugin (c. 1612 – July 11, 1663) was a French painter known for a small number of still lifes, and for religious and mythological paintings. He was born in Pithiviers to a prosperous family. Although it is not known to whom he was a ...

(1612-1663), showing the body of Christ filling the canvas, delicately illuminated and perfectly poised, against a background of turbulence and darknnessDumoulin, "Églises de Paris" (2017), p. 59

Notes and citations

Bibliography (in French)

*Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle; ''Églises de Paris'' (2010), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, (in French) *Hillairet, Jacques; ''Connaissance du Vieux Paris''; (2017); Éditions Payot-Rivages, Paris (in French). (In French) {{Commons category, Église des Billettes (Paris)

External links

Website of the church
(in French)
History of the church
on the website of Protestant Churches of France (in French) * Article in French Wikipedia
Site on history and art of the church (in French)Detailed article by Philippe Cachau on the history of the church
(in French)