The 10 Year Plan: Churches in Paris: Église Saint-Roch

Our apartment building in Paris located on Rue Saint-Roch.

Our street is named for the large church at the end our block, the Église Saint-Roch. In the photo above, you can see the sand-colored church building in the lower left corner. Because the church is so close, we love hearing the church bells chiming the hour, and we even enjoy the insistent clanging when it's time to come to Mass.

Église Saint-Roch

A statue of Saint Roch and his faithful companion on the facade of Église Saint-Roch

A church has been located on the site since 1209. A short history appears below.

The existing church, built in the Baroque style, was completed in 1754. The first stone was symbolically laid in 1653 by 14-year-old King Louis XIV.

The church is dedicated to Saint Roch.

A statue of Saint Roch in the church

Saint Roch (Saint Rocco in Italy) was a 14th-century French nobleman who gave his wealth to the poor, became a Franciscan and traveled in France and Italy curing plague victims. You can read a short biography of Saint Roch by clicking here. (Here's a fun fact. An earlier church on the site, a chapel built in 1521, was dedicated to Saint Susanna.)

The church has witnessed many historical events.

During the Revolution, the church was looted. Some of the church's artwork was taken or destroyed. Plus, tombs in the church were opened, the remains were cast aside, and the lead coffins were taken and then melted for bullets.

Later during the Revolution, in October 1795, a large royalist force had entered Paris and was seeking to depose the revolutionary National Convention housed in the nearby Tuileries palace. The Convention called on a 26-year-old general to defend the Convention and preserve the revolution. The general had already achieved success in battle and was considered a French patriot loyal to the revolution. On October 5, the general arrived with his smaller but well-trained and well-armed force. The battle lasted about an hour. The general's force prevailed over the more numerous but ill-trained, ill-equipped royalist force. The painting below depicts the battle.

The Journée of 13 Vendémiaire, Year 4, The Saint Roch Church, Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris by Charles Monnet (1798) (13 Vendémiaire on the revolutionary calendar was equivalent to October 5)

During the battle, the facade of the church was damaged by bullets and cannon balls. The damage is still evident more than 120 years later. Below is a photograph of some of the patched bullet holes. A different colored mortar was intentionally used so people could still see the evidence of the battle.

The event was very important to both the Revolution and the general's career. The royalist insurrection was suppressed and the general was considered a hero and given increasing military responsibility. Eventually, in 1799, the general overthrew the revolutionary government and became First Consul. Then, in 1804, he declared himself Emperor Napoleon I.

Other events at the church include burials or funerals of famous French persons, such as André Le Nôtre, Comte de Grasse, Denis Diderot and, more recently, Yves Saint Laurent.

Le Notre was the King's master gardener, who invented the Le Notre box, a planter with a door for inspecting the roots and changing the dirt.

Admiral de Grasse assisted General Washington during the American Revolution.

We have visited the church many times during Year 4. Each time, we are struck by the simple elegance of the church's interior.

The church was expanded several times with the addition of various chapels. Fortunately, the integrity of the church's symmetrical design was preserved. In fact, the addition of two large chapels enhanced the church's design. If you stand in center of the nave, you can see the main altar, the Chapel of the Virgin behind it and the Chapel of Calvary beyond.

The Chapel of the Virgin:

The Chapel of Calvary:

When Joan of Arc was canonized in 1920, Église Saint-Roch held a special service and erected a replica of the Porte Saint Honoré in front of the church (pictured below). The actual Porte Saint Honoré, a former gate into the walled city of Paris, was located a couple of blocks from the church. Joan of Arc led an unsuccessful siege of Paris in 1429 to expel the English occupiers during the Hundred Years War. During the battle, Joan was seriously injured by a crossbow bolt but survived. Following her execution by the English and their allies two years later, her fame grew and she became one of the patron saints of France. In most French churches we have visited, we have seen a Joan of Arc statue.