Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant (; meaning Our Lady of the Holy Cross of Ménilmontant) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

located in

Ménilmontant Ménilmontant () is a neighbourhood of Paris, situated in the city's 20th arrondissement. It is roughly defined as the area north of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, south of Parc de Belleville, and between ''Avenue Jean-Aicard'' on the west an ...

, in the

20th arrondissement The 20th arrondissement of Paris (known in French as the ''XXe arrondissement de Paris'' or simply as "''le vingtième''") is the last of the consecutively numbered arrondissements of the capital city of France. Also known as Ménilmontant () aft ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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 ...

. It was built between 1863 and 1880. Of exceptional height and length, it is one of the largest churches in Paris.

History

Prior to the 19th century, the hamlet of Ménilmontant depended on the parish church of

Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville, is a Roman Catholic Church located at 139 rue de Belleville in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. It is a notable example of 19th-century Neo-Gothic architecture in Paris. It was begun in 1854 by architect Jea ...

. Responding to population growth in the largely working-class neighbourhood, in 1833 the parish priest commissioned the construction of a larger chapel, and a new parish was established in 1847. In 1869, Menilmontant was annexed to the city of Paris by

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. It continued to grow, so construction of a larger church started in 1863, designed by the architect Louis-Jean-Antoine Herét (1821-1899). It was consecrated in 1869, though the building was not yet complete. Notre Dame de la Croix - fin 19eme siecle

Notre Dame de la Croix - fin 19eme siecle

In 1871, during the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

, the church was closed and turned into a political meeting hall. In a meeting of Commune leaders held in the church on 6 May 1871, during the recapture of Paris by the French army, the Commune leaders voted to execute

Georges Darboy Georges Darboy (; 16 January 181324 May 1871) was a French Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Nancy then Archbishop of Paris. He was among a group of prominent hostages executed as the Paris Commune of 1871 was about to be overthrown. ...

, the Archbishop of Paris and a group of priests being held as hostages by the Communards. Construction of the church was completed in 1880.

Exterior

The church combines elements of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

with

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

. The church is unusually large; it is 97 meters long, making it the third-longest church in Paris; 30 meters wide, and 20'9 meters in height up to the vaults of the nave. In volume, it is the fourth largest church in Paris. The bell tower is 78 meters high. File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (32556838254).jpg, Facade and stairway to the street below File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (33271425771).jpg, transept and side of nave File:Notre Dame de la Croix - tympan sur entree laterale.JPG, Tympanum of right portal with sculpture of "The flight into Egypt" by Louis Chambard (1811-1891) File:Exterior of Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix Ménilmontant 5.JPG, Rose window and statue of the Virgin Mary above the central portal The site is also unusual, since the church is placed atop a steep hill, a long stairway of fifty-five steps connects the portal of the church with the street below.

Interior

The interior decoration is predominantly neo-Romanesque, presented in the grand scale of earlier Gothic cathedrals. In addition to the classical elements, the interior has one unusual modern feature: the iron ribs supporting the ceiling vaults are fully exposed. The rest of the iron framework of the church is concealed by masonry. The

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

at the entrance of the church is lined by very tall classical columns topped with

Corinthian capitals 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, ...

, with very elaborate traditional sculptures of leaves and flowers, as well as small, sculptured heads of men and women supporting the bases of the rounded arches. The columns of the arcade have capitals in floral design, as well as smaller heads of Saints. Each column is also decorated with a stylized illustration of the events of the

Way of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers, These stations are derived from the im ...

and the Crucifixion of Christ. Small chapels line the outer aisles behind the arcades. A chapel is devoted to

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

, decorated with a statue of Joan and a painting of the martyrdom of Saints

Crispin and Crispinian Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of Shoemaking, cobblers, curriers, Tanning (leather), tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 Octob ...

, the patron saints of leatherworkers, shoemakers and weavers. A

triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...

or passageway is located above the side aisles, and above are bays containing large stained glass windows with geometric designs. The windows were designed to admit a maximum of light. In the apse on the left is a chapel dedicated to Saint-Benoit-Joseph-Labre, patron saint of the homeless. File:Notre Dame de la Croix - le narthex.JPG, The Narthex inside the entrance File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (32585371133).jpg, The nave facing the choir File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (32585345463).jpg, The exposed iron ribs of the vaults File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (33243628452).jpg, The Choir and altar File:P1280800 Paris XX eglise Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant chaire rwk.jpg, The pulpit in the nave File:Paris, Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix-de-Ménilmontant, Innenansicht (9).jpg, The transept, with small rose window File:Organ @ Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (33358713026).jpg, The organ in the tribune over the church entrance

Art and Decoration

File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (32556725644).jpg, Detail of column capital in the narthex File:Baptismal fount @ Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (33243866602).jpg, Baptismal Chapel and Font, with painting "The Annunciation File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (33016216580).jpg, Chandelier in the transept

Painting and sculpture

The church is filled with paintings and sculpture which illustrate Biblical stories, and are examples of the classical and romantic styles of French religious painting in the mid-19th century. The statue of the Virgin Mary on the facade and the tympanum sculpture of a Pieta scene over the central portal are the work of Joseph Tournois. One unusual work which combines painting with sculpture is "Our Lady of the Crucifixion" by Albert Chanot (1881–1963). It is found in the north transept. File:Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix de Ménilmontant @ Paris 20 (33399482205).jpg, "Our Lady of the Crucifixion" combined sculpture and painting by Albert Chanot (1881–1963) File:Notre Dame de la Croix - Tympan central.JPG, Tymanum of the central portal with sculpture of a Pieta by Joseph Tournois (1830–1891) File:Église ND-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant. Sculpture en faïence de Léon Chédeville et Jules Loebnitz.jpg, "Two angels adoring the Sacred-Heart", culpture in faience by Leon Chedevill and Jules Loebnitz (1881) File:Paris Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant645.JPG, Saint George and the Dragon

Stained glass

Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant is a rare example of a Paris church whose stained glass is entirely decorative, with floral and other abstract designs; there are no history windows or windows depicting Saints or other figures. The windows are designed to bring in a maximum of light and to create a distinct atmosphere. File:Paris Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant623.JPG, Stained glass in the apse behind the altar File:Paris Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant619.JPG, Rose window with floral designs File:Notre Dame de la Croix - vitraux.JPG, Upper windows in nave File:Paris Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant642.JPG, Transept rose window

Grand Organ

The organ was 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 ...

from 1872 to 1874. The design of the church presented many difficulties that ultimately meant the organ was not completed as intended. In particular, the rose window required the organ cases to be split between the two sides of the window. The presence of a bell mechanism further hindered construction of the organ. In the end, the intended positive division was never built because it was impossible to route the key mechanism from the console to the pipes. In addition, the console had to be positioned facing the organ rather than facing the church. The third manual on the console was made to play the recit and grand orgue coupled together. When completed, the organ had 26 stops in total. The organist, as of 2023, is Frédéric Denis. File:P1280801 Paris XIX eglise Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix de Ménilmontant orgue rwk.jpg, The grand organ in the tribune over the portals File:Paris, Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix-de-Ménilmontant, Orgue Cavaillé-Coll (3).jpg, Console of the grand organ

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Notre Dame de la Croix de Menilmontant Roman Catholic churches in the 20th arrondissement of Paris Churches completed in 1880