This is again another dandy monument in my eternal Paris. I have done quite a bit of walking in Paris, and never stop amazing me of its abundance of architecture and historical sights that not only are known but also unknown to most. This is another beauty that needs to be seen more, me think ; glad to have found new pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on the Church Notre Dame du Travail of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Church Notre Dame du Travail or Our Lady of Labor is located at 59 rue Vercingétorix in the 14éme arrondissement of Paris. Built to replace a church in the Plaisance quartier or neighborhood that had become too small, it was completed in April 1902. It is remarkable for its use of an innovative metal frame and exposed beams. The metal structure is a re-use of structural elements from the Palace of Industry, built for the 1855 World’s Fair ,and destroyed three decades later to make way for the construction of the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais. it reveals a breathtaking iron and steel structure once you cross its threshold. For the record, the 135 tons of iron used in the construction of the church The church’s facade gives the visitor no idea of the functional and constructivist style of the interior. It is, in fact, designed like a classic Romanesque church, in traditional dressed stone.
The Church Notre Dame du Travail has a remarkable thing here is the interior with an industrial architecture unique in Paris, Directly influence by Gustave Eiffel and Baltard, the metallic canopy of the nave comes as the wishes of abbe Soulange-Bodin who wanted a church to unite the workers and the faithful, The church house a bell weighting 552 kg offered by Napoléon III in 1865 that came from the city of Sebastopol and brought back to Paris during the war of Crimea. Hence this intertwining of trellises, typical of railway stations. An iron frame with a pale light. The stained glass windows, in Art Nouveau or Geometric style, have warm and cool shades to soften the brightness.
You see the Chapelle Notre Dame du Travail chapel, located in the apse, depicts the seated Virgin Mary accompanied by a working-age Jesus, surrounded by symbols of trades. On the wall, a mounted canvas depicts a procession of workers on the left, and the poor begging for alms on the right. In accordance with the request that the Polish saint and mystic, Faustina Kowalska, said to have received from Jesus, and on the recommendation of Pope John Paul II to convey the message of divine mercy to the world, a painted representation of the nun’s vision in the “Tableau de la Mercy” was solemnly enthroned in the church on May 1, 2011, in the sixth chapel to the left of the nave upon entering, the Chapel of Christ, where a crucifix already stands.
Installed in 1994, the Stations of the Cross was commissioned in 1991 by priest Alain Maillard de la Morandais. It is unusual in that it does not have a number. Composed of a set of fourteen wooden sculptures in monoxyl bas-relief, each forming a rectangular panel with a flat protruding edge perpendicular to the bottom of the bas-relief, it encircles the interior of the church. The order of the Stations of the Cross is determined by the number of figures, the number of which decreases at each station. Thus, at the first station, fourteen figures are present, and at the last, only Jesus is present. The organ was built by the Haerpfer factory in 1991. It is unique in that it has two consoles of different compositions: a gallery console and a mobile console currently located on a side gallery.
Basically, the Church Notre-Dame-du-Travail rightly sits, under which every second Sunday of October, the inhabitants come to deposit their tools. As you approach, you see at its feet the palette of a baker, a wheelbarrow and even a barrel.
The official parrish Church Notre Dame du Travail on its history: https://www.notredamedutravail.net/visites-et-concerts/histoire-de-l-eglise
The Paris tourist office on the Church Notre Dame du Travail: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/paroisse-notre-dame-du-travail-p1797
This is hugely wonderful and a must see while in Paris, me think. Do come to see this off the beaten path monument of my eternal Paris. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church Notre Dame du Travail of Paris !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 