I was perusing my blog and found post with so much info like in Orléans that decided to split and do one post on monument that deserves a post of their own , me think, This is the case of the nice Church Saint Paterne. The church was just across the street from where we were staying in the City (see posts). Therefore, here is my take on the Church Saint Paterne of Orléans !! Hope you enjoy this post as I.
The Church Saint Paterne is located at 112 rue Bannier,paralel with the former boulevard Alexandre Martin ,today Boulevard de Verdun , What a nice discovery as the cult of Saint Paterne was introduced to Orleans by the Bretons!(see church in Vannes 56) , fleeing the Norman invasions of the 10C. This 19C church is located on the site of the former Saint-Pouair priory. It is of Neo-Gothic style and offers a certain whiteness and interior luminosity. This church is not only used for worship but is also sometimes the venue for concerts thanks to its quality acoustics.
The Church Saint Paterne was once called Saint-Pouair. Until the French revolution Saint-Paterne will only be sheltered from the ramparts after the construction of the last enclosure between 1485 and 1555. This is why during the Hundred Years War, it will be destroyed twice a year. the people of Orléans themselves (in 1358 and 1428), fearing that the English would use the building as a stronghold. The church was rebuilt at the beginning of the 16C, and a brick tower was added to it, topped with a freestone dome. In 1562, the Huguenots beheaded the tower, then in 1567, demolished the church. In 1588, it was the turn of the Ligueurs to invest the parish. the duke of Mayenne, residing in Orleans, raise the inhabitants against the royal authority. Governor Balzac d’Entragues, who remained faithful to the king, shut himself up in the citadel at Porte Bannier. Mayenne then had the barely restored roof removed and the nave filled with earth and rubble to form an artillery platform intended to bombard the citadel. On January 31, 1589, Balzac fell back to Beaugency.
In 1771, a sanctuary was built to the east. The priory was abolished during the French revolution, but the parish was maintained until 1793. In 1795, the church was returned to worship, but like all the others, it was renamed to bear the name of a civic festival which was to be unfold there: this is how Saint-Paterne becomes the “temple of old people” until the Consulate. In 1812 a small chapel of the Holy Virgin was built in the north aisle. In 1870, faced with the deplorable state of the building and the large number of faithful, Father Chesse, parish priest, began to seriously consider building a new church.
The final decision will be taken in 1874, and on May 9, 1876, the first stone is laid. In 1883, the choir, the chapels, the transept and the sacristy were completed, and the church, inaugurated, began to be used. In 1888, the construction of the nave began. The work, temporarily interrupted for lack of money, was resumed in 1892 and finally finished in 1894. On December 11 of that same year, the new church was solemnly consecrated ; however, current porch was fitted out and inaugurated in 1931 by the Bishop of Orleans, The old tower in very poor condition is then the only vestige that remains of the old construction. The mayor voted for its demolition in 1913 despite strong opposition. On May 7, 1931 Mrg Courcoux, blessed the new western portal.
The Parish of dept Loiret on the Church St Paterne:http://www.paroissecdvo45.org/clochers/saint-paterne/
The Orléans metropole tourist office on the Church Saint Paterne : https://www.tourisme-orleansmetropole.com/activites-loisirs/eglise-saint-paterne/
The Loiret dept 45 tourist office on Orléans’s heritage :https://www.tourismeloiret.com/en/discover/12-must-sees-made-loiret/week-end-orleans
There you go folks, an off the beaten path monument in historical wonderful Orléans believe it, Again, hope you enjoy the Church Saint Paterne of Orléans !!! as I. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 