Churches in Paris: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

Paris is home to many beautiful, large churches.  By comparison, churches in Florence, Italy are more numerous but they tend to be smaller and older on average.

We enjoy visiting churches wherever we go because their history, architecture and artwork are fascinating to us.  

Recently, with friends we visited the Eglise Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in the 9th arrondissement.  

As soon as we turned the corner and saw the church, we were struck by how much the church resembles a Greek or Roman temple.  Since Greg is fascinated with Greek temples and how their basic form has been used as a building model over the centuries, he was eager to visit the church.  

Note France's motto above the entrance:  Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, equality, fraternity) added in 1902.  Above the motto is a sculpture by Charles-François Leboeuf, Six angels in adoration before the Madonna and Child. 

Some fun facts about Notre-Dame-de-Lorette:  

• Two notable Frenchmen were baptized there, Georges Bizet (1840) and Claude Monet (1841).  
• During the Paris Commune in 1871, the church was used as a barracks and prison.  

Who knew?

The church was designed by  Louis-Hippolyte Lebas in the Neo-Classical style during the first half of the 19th century (1823-1836).  The new church replaced a nearby chapel dedicated to Notre Dame de Lorette that was destroyed during the French Revolution.  We have learned that many churches and abbeys were completely or partly destroyed during the Revolution.  So, some of the churches in Paris, like Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, are relatively new and very large. 

One of the best features of the church is the classical-style nave with a beautiful ceiling.  The entire church is colorful, much more so than many other churches in Paris.    

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette:  Nave

The church has two sets of aisles and many side chapels with paintings and sculptures.  In the diagram below, you can easily see that the church shares many similarities with a Greek temple.

One of the sculptures in the church was Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), one of the patron saints of France.  (In future posts, you will see that Joan of Arc frequently appears in churches and elsewhere in Paris.)

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette:  Jeanne d'Arc

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette:  Altar

We were struck by artistic beauty of the stations of the cross in the church.  Below, the image is life-like even though it is monochromatic, and the lustrous blue background is eye-catching.  

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette:  A station of the cross

If you are interested in learning about the legend of Notre Dame de Lorette, click here.  The legend involves the house where Mary lived and where the Visitation occurred.  The house was transported from Jerusalem to Loreto, Italy.

Thanks for visiting Notre-Dame-de-Lorette with us.