Oratoire du Louvre

Oratoire du Louvre
Temple protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre
Front of the church from rue Saint-Honoré
Oratoire du Louvre The location of l'Oratoire within Paris
48°51′42.7″N 2°20′25.1″E / 48.861861°N 2.340306°E / 48.861861; 2.340306
Location	Paris
Country	France
Denomination	United Protestant Church of France
Previous denomination	Reformed Church of France
Churchmanship	Liberal[1]
Website	oratoiredulouvre.fr
History
Former name(s)	La congrégation de l'Oratoire de Jésus
Authorising papal bull	1613
Status	Parish church
Founded	November 1611
Founder(s)	Pierre de Bérulle
Consecrated	July 12, 1750
Events	Made royal chapel of the Louvre Palace by Louis XIII (1623); suppressed during the French Revolution (1792); Protestant church (1811)
Associated people	Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, Anne of Austria, Paul-Henri Marron
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Monument Historique PA00085789[2]
Designated	1907
Architect(s)	Jacques Lemercier, Clément Métezeau, Pierre Caqué
Architectural type	Christian Church
Style	Baroque
Years built	1621–1625, 1740–1745
Groundbreaking	September 22, 1621
Completed	1745
Administration
Synod	Synode régional d'Île-de-France
Clergy
Pastor(s)	Agnès Adeline-Schaeffer Béatrice Cléro-Mazire

The Église réformée de l'Oratoire du Louvre, is an historic Protestant church located at 145 rue Saint-Honoré – 160 rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, across the street from the Louvre. It was founded as a Roman Catholic church in 1611, became the royal chapel of France and under Louis XIII, and then became a Protestant Church under Napoleon I in 1811. It is now a member of the United Protestant Church of France.

Oratory church (1611-1621)[edit]

The French Oratory was founded in 1611 by Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle, as the first Paris church of the Oratory of Jesus, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who lived together in a religious community without taking formal vows. In 1612 the French Regent, Marie de Medicis, officially recognized the Oratory. Pope Paul V recognized the Oratory in 1613. The Oratory grew until it had some sixty churches in France.

The first Paris church of the Oratory was in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques, close to the future Val de Grace church. As the congregation grew, De de Bérulle began the search for a larger home for the Oratory.^[3] In 1616 Beruille bought a large former mansion on Rue de Marengo, near the Louvre and dedicated a chapel there.The new chapel attracted a large following, and Beruille began planning for an even larger church. In 1619 he bought several houses and parcels of land, and in 1620 bought large parcel of land at what is the present site, on the present Rue de l'Oratoire, next to the Louvre. At the end of 1620 he commissioned the royal architect Clément Métezeau to design the new church.^[4]

Royal Chapel (1621-1625)[edit]

The first stone was laid on 22 September 1621 by Hercule, Duke of Montbazon, the governor of Paris. King Louis XIII actively supported the church, giving it the status of the Royal Chapel, and gave the clergy the status of royal chaplains. The most prestigious artists of the time, Philippe de Champagne, Charles Le Brun and Simon Vouet participated in the decoration of the chapels. Most of their work was destroyed during the French Revolution, but some art remains. The church hosted the funerals of both the King and of Cardinal Richelieu, as well as Queens Anne of Austria and Maria Theresa of Spain. However, with changes of regime and financial difficulties, the constructio of the he church was suspended in 1625.

Neoclassical additions (1741-1750)[edit]

Construction of the unfinished church finally resumed 1741 under architect Pierre Caqué. He completed the last two traveres of the nave, built the Neoclassical facade on rue Saint-Honoré (1744-1746) and then redesigned the interior with a balance of the earlier Baroque architecture and the new neo-classical style. He commissioned classical sculptures from Claude-Clair Francin and Nicolas-Sebastien Adam to decorate the facade. In 1747 he finished the main altar and the baldequin. The interior was completed in 1748, and was consecrated in 1750.^[5]

Revolutionary meeting hall and Bank of France (1792 to 1811)[edit]

In 1792, during the French Revolution, the Revolutionary government formally abolished all religious orders, including the congregation of the Oratory. the church was closed, and was turned into a meeting place the for the national academy of medicine, and also to store sets for the Paris Opera and the Comedie-Francaise. In 1793, as the Revolution became more radical and anti-clerical, the church was ransacked, the statues and architecture mutilated, and the chapels emptied of their art. Fortunately twenty-nine paintings from the church were sent for safekeeping to the Museum of French Monuments. As the Revolution came to an end, in 1800 the newly-created Bank of France was installed in the empty church building.^[6]

Protestant Temple (1811 to present)[edit]

In 1811, Napoleon gave the building to the Protestant congregation of Saint-Louis-du-Louvre whose own church that building was demolished to make way for the expansion of the Louvre.

Between 1820 and 1828, the church was restored and modified by architect to adapt to Protestant services. A sacristy was created, An organ was installed, and tribunes were added in the chapels. In 1853, to make room for the Rue de Rivoli, one of the new streets cut through the center of the city by Baron Haussman, the convent of the old church was demlished. A statue and monument of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the prominent Huguenot leader of the 16th century, was raised on the rue de Rivoli end of the church in 1889.

The title "Oratory" of the Catholic was preserved in the Protestant church. August Decoppet, the pastor of the church from 1878 to 1906 explained, "Our church bears the most beautiful name that can be given to a church, that of "oratory", which signifies a house of prayer, a place where the human soul and God can come together."^[7]

20th and 21st century[edit]

The Paris church today is one of the most prominent temples of the Reformed Church of France. It is noted for its Religious liberalism.

The Exterior[edit]

• 
  The classiscal facade on rue Saint-Honoré
• 
  The church seen from Rue de Rivoli
• 
  Colonade and Apse
• 
  Towers of the apse

The exterior of the church has very different styles on the Rue du Rivoli and the Rue Saint-Honore. The facade on the Rue Saint-The facade on the Rue Saint-Honorḗ is neoclassicl, eOCLaaixL while the apse is largely in the Baroque style.

The closest métro station is Louvre – Rivoli.

Interior[edit]

• 
  The pulpit and choir
• 
  The nave and the grand organ
• 
  Memorial to church members killed in World War I
• 
  The upper room, onetime home to the American Church in Paris and later The Scots Kirk, Paris

THe nave underwent major modifications in the 18th century, replacing Baroque elements wih elements of Neoclassical architecture. This is particularly visible in the nave, lined with stately classical columns and pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals, and wooden tribunes or balconies were placed into the chapels that line the nave. However, some baroque elements can still be seen the chapels that line the nave. The chapels were originally decorated by families close to the Oratory members. who commissioned the leading painters of the period, including Simon Vouet, Philippe de Champagne , and Charles le Brun to decorate them. But only one of the original Renaissance ceiling paintings is still in place.

Art and Decoration[edit]

• 
  Keystone from the early church, with Oratory motto "Jesus and Mary"
• 
  Statue of Protestant leader Gaspard II de Coligny over the portal

.

The central sculpture over the portal represents the Protestant leader Gaspard II de Coligny, who was killed during the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. It was created by the architect Scellier de Gisors and the sculptor Gustave-Adolphe Crauck (1827-1905) ^[8]

Most of the paintings from this period were destroyed during the French Revolution. The only original painting from this period still visible is "The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus" by Charles Le Brun (1619-1690) It it is surrounded by small paintings of angels holding the instruments of the Passion of Jesus.^[9]

The organ[edit]

The grand organ of the church is located in the tribune. It was built in 1898 by Merklin, and underwent major restoration between 1957 and 1962.

(To hear rrecordings of the organ being played, go the church website at https://oratoiredulouvre.fr)

Prominent pastors[edit]

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

Braunstein, Philippe (2011). L'Oratoire du Louvre et les protestants parisiens. Paris: Labor et Fides. ISBN 978-2830914320.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Temple protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre (Paris).

• Parish website (in French)
• [4]| Article church history and art on patrimoine-histoire.fr (in French)
• |.htm|About the istory of the church organ, with recordings of selected pieces