Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption is a Roman Catholic church in the

First arrondissement of Paris The 1st arrondissement of Paris (''Ier arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le premier'' (the first). I ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, located on Place Maurice-Barrès at the corner of

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 upscal ...

and Rue Cambon. It was constructed as a convent church during the reign of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

between 1670 and 1676 in the Baroque architectural style Since 1844 it has been the main

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

church of Paris. It is known for its collection of

Baroque paintings Baroque painting is the painting associated with the Baroque cultural movement. The movement is often identified with Absolutism, the Counter Reformation and Catholic Revival,https://www.patrimoine-histoire.fr/Patrimoine/Paris/Paris-Notre-Dame-de-l-Assomption.ht
Patrimoine-histoire.fr page on the history and art of the church
(in French)

History

In 1623 the Cardinal Francois de la Rochefoucauld decided to build a new convent for the sisters of the Order of Haudriettes, then located near the present Hotel de Ville. He placed the new convent on Rue Saint-Honore, next to the city gate of Saint Honoré, on what is now Place Maurice-Barrès. The new congregation was called the Dames of the Assumption. To build the new convent, he obtained more land next to the old chapel and commissioned the architect Charles Errard to design and construct a new church. Errard had studied in Rome, and his design showed the influence of Ancient Rome and the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

. When his plan was finished, Errard returned to Rome, and delegated the supervision of the construction to a M. Cheret, the director of public works. There were problems and criticism of the finished church, for which Cheret blamed Errard, while Errard blamed Cheret for having modified his plans. The building was finally dedicated on August 14, 1670, by Michel de Poncet de La Riviere, the archbishop of Bourges. The new convent of "Les Dames de l'Assomption" became a refuge into the religious life for well-born women from the Royal Court. In 1790, during the French Revolution, the convent was closed and declared a public property. and in 1793 it taken over by the Ministry of Finance. The other buildings of the convent were gradually demolished, while the church was used to store opera and theater sets. In 1802, under the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...

between

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

, the church was restored to the Catholic Church. Napoleon declared that it should be the leading church of the 1st arrondissement until the restoration Church of the Madeleine, which was completed in 1842. On May 22, 1834, the funeral of

General Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

was held in the church, in the presence of the Garde National and the French parliament. In 1838, the remains of the clergyman and diplomat

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (; ; 2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838), 1st Prince of Benevento, then Prince of Talleyrand, was a French secularization, secularized clergyman, statesman, and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he b ...

were kept in the church until his tomb was completed. In 1844, in response to the rapidly-growing number of Polish immigrants in Paris,

Denys Affre Denis-Auguste Affre (; 27 September 179327 June 1848) was a French clergyman who served as Archbishop of Paris from 1840 to 1848. He was killed while trying to negotiate peace during the June Days uprising of 1848. His cause for beatification ha ...

, Archbishop of Paris, presented the church to the Polish Catholic Church of Paris. The composer

Frederic Chopin Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...

was a regular visitor between 1830 and 1849. In 1907 the church was listed as an historical monument.

The exterior

File:Face de l'Eglise des Religieuses de l'Assomption rüe St. Honoré du dessein du Sr. Errard - btv1b531815866 (1 of 2).jpg, Dome as designed by the architect, Charles Errard (1679) File:Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption 301.JPG, The porch and dome File:Église Notre Dame Assomption - Paris I (FR75) - 2024-05-22 - 2.jpg, Top of the dome The facade of the church has a porch with six classical

Corinthian columns 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, ...

, similar to that of the north porch of the Sorbonne, built about the same time. The rotonda is 24 meters in diameter, with simple pilasters in the lower portion. It is topped by a cupola, divided into eight bays, each with a statue. The facade is decorated with a bust of

Pope John-Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

The interior

File:Polish Church Paris Mai 2006 005.jpg, A chapel File:Polish Church Paris Mai 2006 006.jpg, The Altar File:Baptismal font @ Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption @ Paris (31805456676).jpg, The Baptismal font, with porcelain statue of the Infant Jesus. The nave of the church is round, covered by the dome, and is twenty-four meters in diameter. The dome is supported by eight groups of Pilasters with Corinthian columns On the upper level are eight high windows, separated by panels of moulded stucco. The windows are composed largely of white glass, with coloured glass on the edges. Behind the altar of portraits of major figures from the Polish Roman Catholic Church. The Baptismal font is topped by a colourful porcelain statue of the Infant Jesus.

Art and decoration

File:Carle Van Loo - Adoration des Mages (1739).jpg, "Adoration of the Magi" by

Carle Van Loo Carle or Carlé is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Andrea Cosima Carle, whose stage name is Maggie Mae (1960–2021), German singer * Barbara Carle (born 1958), French-American poet, critic, translator and Italianist * David Ca ...

(1739) File:Tableau d'autel de l'Annonciation Église polonaise de Paris.jpg, Altar painting, “The Annunciation” by

Joseph-Marie Vien Joseph-Marie Vien (sometimes anglicised as Joseph-Mary Wien; 18 June 1716 – 27 March 1809) was a French painter. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791. Biography He was born in Montpellier. P ...

File:Dome @ Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption @ Paris (31002720224).jpg, Interior of the dome, with painting of "The

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

of Christ" by

Charles de La Fosse Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning wa ...

File:Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption @ Paris (31805487186).jpg, Sculpture of Christ above a Polish emblem File:Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption @ Paris (31033804363).jpg, The Madonna and Polish saints File:Saint-Antoine de Padoue @ Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption @ Paris (31470703360).jpg, Saint Anthony of Padua

The church organ

File:Organ @ Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption @ Paris (31805474346).jpg, The organ, placed over the portal in the apse File:Buffet de l'orgue Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption Paris 1er.png, Organ built by

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 build ...

The organ dates from the end of the 19th century. It was made by the prominent

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 desig ...

. His other organs included the

Saint-Denis Basilica The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

(1841),

Église de la Madeleine The Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (, ), or less formally, La Madeleine (), is a Catholic parish church on Place de la Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was planned by Louis XV as the focal point of the new Rue Royal, leading t ...

, (1859), Saint-Sulpice church, and

Notre-Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It ...

References

External links

Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption (mission polonaise)

Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption

musicamsacram.pl – Organ description
{{Authority control France–Poland relations Polish diaspora in Europe Polish diaspora organizations Roman Catholic churches in the 1st arrondissement of Paris