19.1.12

A church again...


You may think that I show too much of churches. I basically visit churches only because of their beauty… or for some curiosity.. . and we must not forget that maybe especially the Catholic Church for centuries was one of the main “sponsors” for art of all sorts. There are some 240 churches within the Paris borders, whereof 136 Roman Catholic, 16 Orthodox, 24 synagogues, 29 Lutheran / Reformed, 20 mosques… So far, after almost five years of blogging, I have “only” posted about some 40 = some modest 17%, so I guess I’m allowed to post about a few more? :-) 
This one, Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt, has at a first sight nothing particular, but…



... once you have looked behind the altar and walked up a few steps, you will find a beautiful chapel, the Chapel of the Virgin. On its altar is a statue of the Virgin, made by the same sculptor who has decorated the Medici Fountain (see previous post) in the Luxembourg Gardens (Auguste-Louis Ottin).













One curiosity is that the passage to the Chapel is decorated by two paintings by Nélie Jacquemart. Her name is of course linked to the Jacquemart-Andrée Museum (see previous post). She was a well-known painter, who one day portrayed her future, extremely wealthy husband, Edouard Andrée. No children, their home was bequeathed to the French Institute and opened to public, presenting their fabulous collection of paintings by Fragonard, Botticelli, Canaletto, Rembrandt….  Unfortunately the paintings here in the church are rather impossible to photograph (angle, light…). Sorry!
The church in a neo-roman style dates from 1863. Clignancourt was a village, part of the Montmartre commune – integrated into Paris in 1860. Until they got this church, the inhabitants had to walk up the hill, to the top of Montmartre to find the Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre church (see previous posts), neighbor to Sacré-Coeur, which didn’t yet exist – finished only in 1914. The Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt  is opposite to the Town Hall of the 18th arrondissement and we can distinguish Sacré-Coeur in the background. Maurice Utrillo painted the church several times, this one in 1914.



Well, the rest of the church has also some nice decorations, including the stained glass windows, created later, during the 1930’s,  a Pieta....




12 comments:

Studio at the Farm said...

Peter, it is an elegant church, not mind-bogglingly ornate as so many are. My vote is - you can write and photograph as many churches as you like; they have, after all, played a very large part in western culture and civilization.

Mystica said...

These are beautiful photographs of churches and please continue to show them. For those of us for whom Paris is a very very distant possibility, these give us a glimpse of a very beautiful city.

Thirtytwo degrees said...

You make a good point about the use of artistic impressions to help cultivate the faith in the doctrine of the Church. Without artistic impressions to encourage the average parishioner, church going would be a totally different experience. All prayer and no artwork makes church going a very dull act indeed! Thanks for making me realize that pithy thought.

Virginia said...

The ceiling is just beautiful. This is one I think I"ve not visited. Should I start a new list??? I love the Utrillo, nice that you included that with the other photos Peter.
V

Alain said...

Les églises sont un sujet (presque) inépuisable et souvent d'accès plus facile que les autres monuments.

Kate said...

Well, your work is cut out for you if you have photographed only 17% of the churches in Paris! We certainly appreciate all your efforts because we really reap the benefit of your photographic efforts. Always great photos with outstanding information.

Maria O, Russell said...

Every time I´ve been to Paris, I never had much time to see its many churches.

Thanks to you I´ve already seen some of them.

Of the several of Utrillo´s snow scenes, this one is my favorite.

Fantastic post, Peter!

Thank you so much.

Starman said...

You are 'allowed' to write about whatever you want because you do it so well.

Jeanie said...

I so appreciate your arrows and all the history you share. And I can never get enough of church architecture. It's inspiring!

Cezar and Léia said...

Love your first shot, it's wonderful!This Church is so beautiful inside and I love the collage if pictures of stained glasses.
Hugs
Léia

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

Hello Peter,
I am just catching up with your superb history and art lessons after too long. In the one day that I was in Paris in December, I made sure I went into one church just before heading off to have coffee with Owen Magic Lantern Show before flying out. The Hotel he recommended, L'Hotel St Roch, overlooked L'Eglise St Roch and whether or not it is highly regarded outside of its congregation it was certainly a visual treat for me. Such a surprise to see within its bulky solid exterior. Atheist that I am, I never tire of churches.

Trotter said...

I don't remember having been inside this one...