Notre-Dame-des-Champs is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church located at 91

Boulevard du Montparnasse The Boulevard du Montparnasse () is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements of Paris. Situation The boulevard runs south-eastward from the Place Léon-Paul Fargue to the Port-Royal ( Place Camille Jul ...

, at the southern edge of the

6th arrondissement of Paris The 6th arrondissement of Paris (''VIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le sixième''. The arrondissement, called Luxembourg in ...

. The church is named after the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, under the title of Our Lady of the Fields. It was completed in 1876, built using an

iron frame The term iron frame describes the structural use of either cast iron or wrought iron in the columns and Beam (structure), beams of a building. While popular in the 19th century, the iron frame was displaced by the steel frame in the early 20th centu ...

work designed by

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway net ...

History

Originally located on the site of the church was a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

dedicated to the god Mercury. After the

Christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

of France, the temple was dedicated to the

and was named Notre-Dame-des-Vignes. Robert II made additions to the church and rededicated it to both the Virgin Mary and Saint Denis. The church was later made into a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

by the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monks of Marmoutier Abbey, renaming it Notre-Dame-des-Champs in honor of Our Lady of the Fields. In 1604 the Benedictines ceded the priory to Princess Catherine Gonzaga, Duchess of Orleans-Longueville who installed

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. This was the Carmelite convent where both

Louise de La Vallière Françoise-Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours (6 August 1644 – 6 June 1710) was a French nobility, French noblewoman and the Royal mistress, mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. La Vallière ...

and Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan both retired from the French court and entered

religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and sec ...

. During the French Revolution the convent was closed and the church destroyed. In 1802 the Carmelite Order bought back a small portion of the estate. A small chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame-des-Champs was built, along with a new cloister and living quarters. The order left in 1906. In 1858 a temporary wooden chapel was built as a neighborhood parish. The current structure was built by the architects Paul-René-Léon Ginain Eugène Bonté, and Léon Ginain, on an

. The foundation stone was laid on 17 March 1867. The stone came from quarries in Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine. The iron framework created for the church by Gustave Eiffel was Eiffel's first church structure, and predated his work on the Eiffel Tower by twenty years. It permitted the church to have greater height, fewer supporting columns and larger windows. After being interrupted by the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

in 1870, the completed church was blessed on 31 October 1876. On 25 March 1912 the church was consecrated by Archbishop Léon-Adolphe Amette of Paris.

Exterior

File:P1090032 France, Paris, l'église Notre-Dame-des-Champs sur le boulevard du Montparnasse (5629187767).jpg, The portal onto Boulevard du Montparnasse File:Église Notre-Dame Champs Paris 6.jpg, Portal, nave and bell tower The design of the exterior was inspired by Romanesque architecture, with classical columns and decoration. The tympanum over the central portal, facing Boulevard du Montparnasse, is decorated with bas-relief depicting the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ, sculpted by Gabriel-Jules Thomas (1824-1904). It was completed in 1863. Other works by Thomas are found in the Cour-Carré of the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

and his statue of "Frankfurt" made for the facade of the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

, when it was a railway station."Patrimoine-Histoire.fr" site on the history and art of the church.

Interior

File:Paris eglise nd des champs interieur 07 2016.jpg, The nave File:Paroisse Notre-Dame des Champs @ Montparnasse @ Paris (31320822535).jpg, Arcades and collateral aisle in the nave File:Paroisse Notre-Dame des Champs @ Montparnasse @ Paris (31205924851).jpg, The altar and choir The plan of the church was also freely inspired by

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 ...

. Eiffel's iron frame permitted the church to be higher and to have greater interior space than earlier churches. The nave is linked on either side by rows of cruciform pillars, supporting the rounded arches of the arcade. The columns are decorated with classical capitals of the

ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

, and continue upwards to support the rounded double arches of the vault. the walls of the nave and choir have rows of large windows on the lower and second level, which fill the church with abundant light.

Art and Decoration

Paintings

File:Joseph Aubert, Notre-Dame-des-Champs. 1889-1891. Huile sur toile marouflée. Paris, Église Notre-Dame-des-Champs, l’abside. Photo, Jamie Mulherron.jpg, "Life of the Virgin" by Joseph Aubert over the choir) File:Paroisse Notre-Dame des Champs @ Montparnasse @ Paris (30513462803).jpg, Scene from the Life of the Virgin Mary, by Joseph Aubert (Nave) File:Paroisse Notre-Dame des Champs @ Montparnasse @ Paris (30513465303).jpg, Scene from the Life of the Virgin Mary, by Joseph Aubert (Nave) The most notable works of art within the church are a series of twenty-two paintings above the galleries in the nave and the choir, depicting the life of the Virgin Mary by the artist Joseph Aubert (1849-r1924). The series is notable for the careful detail of the paintings. He devoted twenty-six years to the series, and traveled to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

during the project to carry out enthnographic research, particularly to study the costumes and daily life of women. In addition to the series, He painted a fresco over the choir with scenes of the life of the Virgin.

Grisailles

File:Paroisse Notre-Dame des Champs @ Montparnasse @ Paris (31205928901).jpg, A Grisalle image illustrating the Way of the Cross. In addition to the traditional paintings, the church displays a group of fourteen

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; , from ''gris'' 'grey') means in general any European painting that is painted in grey. History Giotto used grisaille in the lower registers of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua () and Robert Campin, Jan van Ey ...

paintings, painted on enamelled copper, which depict scenes from the Biblical Way of the Cross. They were made by the artist Frédéric de Courcy. They were displayed at the

Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

in 1879 before they were put into place in the church.

Stained Glass

File:Paris 6e Notre-Dame des Champs 60697.JPG, Scene from the Life the Virgin, in the Virgin chapel File:Paris 6e Notre-Dame des Champs 60698.JPG, Scene from the life of the Virgin Mary, Virgin Chapel File:Paris 6e Notre-Dame des Champs 60704.JPG, Detail from a Chapel of the Virgin window The Chapels contain two colorful stained glass windows depicting scenes from the history of the Christian church in Paris. The window in the Chapel of the Virgin depicts " Saint Denis, the First Bishop of Paris, visiting the Virgin in the house of Saint John in Ephesus." File:Paris 6e Notre-Dame des Champs 60707.JPG, Grisaille window from nave File:Paris 6e Notre-Dame des Champs 60708.JPG, Detail of grisaille window The large stained glass windows on the upper level along the side aisles are largely made of light-coloured glass to provide a maximum of light for the art in the interior, but the lower portions also display elaborate and colorful designs."Patrimoine-Histoire web site on the history of the church"

The Organ

File:Organ @ Paroisse Notre-Dame des Champs @ Montparnasse @ Paris (31320736195).jpg The organ of the church is located over the portal at the entrance to the nave. It was built by the firm of Cavaillé-Coll in 1877. It was restored in 1973 and again in 2004.

Online sources (in French)

* :fr:Église Notre-Dame-des-Champs de Paris Link to the French Wikipedia article on the church * :fr:Église Notre-Dame-des-Champs de Paris, History of the church on the parish website (in French)

Patrimoine-histoire" website on the history and art of the church (in French)

References

{{Authority control Convents in Paris Shrines to the Virgin Mary Roman Catholic churches in the 6th arrondissement of Paris Romanesque architecture in France Roman Catholic churches completed in 1876 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France