Paris1972-Versailles2003

I like to add to this wonderful monument in my blog, It was my church while living in Versailles, you have read enough! I found older new pictures not in my blog and they should, especially on my Church Notre Dame of Versailles , part I !!! This is it, if you are coming to see monuments away from the palace/museum , and you should, this is a must, the history of France, Europe, the World  started here really,, Hope you enjoy the post as I,

The Collegiate Church Notre Dame of Versailles is officially at 2 rue Baillet Reviron ,but the main facade entrance is on Rue de la Paroisse corner with  Rue Sainte-Geneviéve in the Notre-Dame district (mine!) and its facade facing the rue Hoche, formerly rue Dauphine,  leading to Place Hoche and eventually the Place d’Armes and the 
palace /museum of Versailles !!! The Diocese of Versailles, suffragan of Paris, was created by Pope Pius VII, following the Concordat of 1801, promulgated in April 1802 at Notre-Dame de Paris. On October 9, 1966, on the feast of Saint-Denis, and in the overall reorganization of the parrish of Paris, the Diocese of Versailles was identified with the territory of the Yvelines department 78 by an autograph letter from Pope Paul VI.

New info on the ongoing restoration of the enclosure and the roof of the Notre-Dame Church is progressing. The church suffered from alterations related to its obsolescence. The City of Versailles is the contracting authority for this restoration, which will be carried out over several years. It is emblematic monument of the City of Versailles, This is a restoration program for the main façade and the Sacré-Coeur Chapel. In addition, the elected officials approved the renovation of the great organ of the church, The great organ of the church was built from 1687 to 1691 by Julien Tribuot, and the sideboard was built in 1687 by Antoine Rivet, A new Choir organ was built by Merklin according to the estimate of September 29, 1869. The organ was raised by the Abbey house in 1911; it is still presently in the choir; but transformed in 1974 following the removal of the woodwork, it now comes without a sideboard.

Built from 1684 to 1686 on the plans of Jules Hardouin Mansart, Notre-Dame is the church of the royal parish, served by the Lazarist Fathers, in charge of nearly 20,000 souls on the eve of the French revolution, i.e. half of the population of Versailles at the time. In 1790, after the vote of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, it became the constitutional cathedral of the new diocese of Seine-et-Oise (former dept now most of Yvelines 78) , without the religious life of the parishioners being profoundly modified: the same church wardens, the same processions and the same offices. Removed from worship in 1793, it was then erected as a Temple of Reason, then Temple of the Supreme Being, where civic festivals were celebrated, including the decadal festivals (festivals of compulsory rest every ten days), suppressed in the revolutionary year VII, (meaning 1797-1798). The Notre-Dame Church was returned to Catholic worship on April 6, 1800.

The construction of the Notre-Dame Church for short, was ordered by King Louis XIV to be able to exercise the worship imposed by the official religion. This church was built to supplement the small chapel of the castle suitable only for the prayers of the royal family, By the end of April 1686 it was placed 6 bells giving the notes do, re, mi, fa, sol, la. The Archbishop of Paris blesses them on May 3. The Dauphin, the Dauphine and four other blood princes accepted the sponsorship. By January 12, 1782 , despite the opposition of the building dept, the parish increased the number of its bells. The first, named Louis, by the king and queen; the second, Louise-Marie, by the Dauphin; the third, Marie, by Monsieur; the fourth, Thérèse, by the Comte d’Artois; the fifth, Elisabeth, by Mme Elisabeth; the sixth, Adelaide; the seventh, Victory; the eighth, Sophia.

The Notre Dame Church is voluntarily not very high because the castle must dominate everything in the city. The Choir, the stained glass window of the Coronation of the Virgin In accordance with the wishes of Louis XIII in 1638, the church being dedicated to Notre-Dame, the axial chapel (main chapel) is not dedicated to her. At Notre Dame Church of Versailles, the axial chapel is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The Notre-Dame Church has registered all the baptismal, marriage and death certificates of the royal family. notably the baptisms of seven kings of France, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Louis XVII, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis XIX and Louis-Philippe I, as well as that of Philippe V of Spain (current line in Spain today by Felipe VI) , the marriages of Louis XVI and Marie- Antoinette, Louis XVIII and Marie-Josephine of Savoy, and Charles X and Marie-Thérèse of Savoy, and the tombs of Louis XIV and Louis XV. On Monday, May 4, 1789 is an important day for the Church of Notre-Dame de Versailles. It is from there that the procession of the Blessed Sacrament leaves in the direction of the Saint-Louis church with all the deputies for the high mass consecrating the opening of the States General. The French revolution stripped the church of its paintings, goldsmithery and liturgical ornaments. The building becomes Temple of Reason. From this period only the great organ, the pulpit and elements from the altarpiece of the high altar remain. During the 19C, the Notre Dame Church was gradually refurnished and restored. Thus, in 1818, the cenotaph of the Comte de Vergennes, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Louis XVI, was installed there, he who signed the Treaty of Versailles giving independence to the United States in 1783. From 1858 to 1872, a rotunda chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart was added to the apse of the church. Between 1854 and 1887, historiated stained glass windows, with strong coloring, take place in all the chapels.

On the eve of the French revolution, the parish of Notre Dame was served by 14 priests who lived in community, with 5 Vincentians attached to the castle chapel, in the mission house. We can imagine to see the Notre-Dame parish live in this period of anguish and restriction of political and religious freedom. First of all, the clergy of Versailles will try to find a compromise with the revolutionaries (republicans). The unsworn clergy of Versailles had to leave in the first fortnight of February, 1789 except for a few Lazarists who pursue an underground ministry. The revolution requiring cannons, many bells of Notre Dame are destroyed on site and taken to be melted down. On November 7, 1793, there is a general depretization with the closing of the churches is voted but not without conflicts. The Church of Notre Dame is completely stripped and transformed into this “Temple of Reason”. After the failure of the city in the face of the refusal of Notre-Dame and its clergy to take the oath (revolutionary constitution), other places of worship are inspected. It was then that on January 16, 1798, the city issued an order to close the four oratories where worship was celebrated clandestinely. Thus the church was closed on September 15, 1798 ,and only became a ten-day place of worship. The church was subsequently taken over by the city to celebrate the decadal worship, consisting of the reading of the laws and the celebration of serial marriages. From October 12, 1798, the Catholics had more at their disposal for worship than the Church of St Symphorien (see post) , In December 1799, Bonaparte, still consul, concerned himself with the release of the deported priests and took a new measure: citizens could use their buildings freely. But in Versailles, two clergy will try to gain a foothold in Notre-Dame: constitutional and refractory (against revolution). However, it quickly turns out that the cohabitation of the latter is impossible at Notre-Dame. Then, the Minister of the Interior declares that the Churches of St Symphorien and St Louis (see post) must suffice for the Catholics of Versailles and that Notre-Dame must remain assigned to the ten-day solemnities. On September 15, 1802, Granpré wished to restore the cross on the dome of the church and was reappointed parish priest by the bishop. Thousands of Versailles residents welcome Pope Pius VII who is led to declare: “Is this then the people who were said to be so irreligious?”

Back again into monarchy on June 25, 1816 before entering his apartment, the priest, the vicars and the administrators of the parish were presented to the king by the prince of Poix, governor of the castle and honorary churchwarden of the parish. This is a monument that the parishioners of Notre-Dame erect and dedicate to the memory of the return of Louis le Désiré (Louis XVIII) and the restoration of France.(monarchy), The baptism of the bell, according to ancient customs, took place on November 15, 1816 by the Bishop, in the presence of the authorities. The Prince de Poix represented the king, and the Duchess of Damas , the Duchess of Angouleme.

The official Notre Dame Church of Versailles : https://notredameversailles.fr/locations/eglise-notre-dame-de-versailles/

The Château de Versailles on what is around it in Versailles : https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/around-palace

The Versailles tourist office on the ND Church :  https://www.versailles-tourisme.com/eglise-notre-dame.html

The City of Versailles on its history/ heritage: https://www.versailles.fr/218/decouvrir-versailles/histoire-de-versailles/une-ville-historique.htm#

There you go folks, a must when visiting Versailles as the history here very much relates to what you see at the Château de Versailles! After all, it was the royal church of the palace for many years! I was lucky to lived by here and see the Collegiate Church Notre Dame in all its splendor on Mass of notoriety attach to all its history. The decorations are very nice as well.  Again,hope you enjoy the post on my Church Notre Dame of Versailles, part I !!! as I,

And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!