I like to tell you about a very famous city for something it does not produce; you know… this is a glorious city and one very popular with the French today, I found me gladly older pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, let me tell you about the Church Saint-Louis-des-Chartrons of Bordeaux !!!. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The district of Chartrons is name as such because the convent of Chartreux founded in 1381 while the 100 years war by the Chartreux of Perigord coming to take refuge in the marshes of this area , the place was connected to the city by the current cours Xavier Arnozan. The Chartrons district was once the hotspot for foreign wine merchants. A little away from the center of the time, English, Dutch, Irish etc. settled in this area to develop their activities.
Look up and admire the Church Saint-Louis-des-Chartrons at Place de Langalerie ,built between 1875 and 1879, it is a neo-Gothic style church, in the Chartrons district ,beyond the Place des Quinconces. It is dedicated to Saint Louis and is under the Archdiocese of Bordeaux. It is rarely open to the public, better check ahead if want to see it. Its towers make it the tallest church in Bordeaux. The facade being oriented to the east , This neo-Gothic church has a facade on the second level, a large central rose window, the design of which betrays no complication, surrounded by two bay windows. Finally, on the third level, the towers frame the gable, highlighted by the statue of Saint Louis. The three levels of the facade elevation are 33 meters high. The spires that surmount the towers rise 25 meters. The attentive observer will have noticed a notable detail: the railing at the base of the third level runs along all three elements of the elevation, whereas in large 13C churches, this railing is most often limited to the central gable.
In a very classic Neo-Gothic style, the nave and choir of the Church Saint-Louis des Chartrons are on three levels: large arcades; a blind triforium; and tall windows. In the family of Neo-Gothic churches, the interior of the church offers nothing new. It is a faithful copy of the great works of the 13C.
The figures from the New Testament and the martyrs accompany, housed in the transept, two historiated scenes of Saint Louis on the Crusade and the Crown of Thorns, while the apse houses five scenes from the life of Jesus. Note an interesting tower of Jesse in this same transept. The Church Saint Louis des Chartrons houses, among other things, stained-glass windows by Henri Feur for the transept and nave, and Nicolas Lorin for the apse and the Chapels of St. Joseph and St. John the Baptist. Bernard Jabouin is the creator of the bas-reliefs in the Chapels of St. Joseph and St. John the Baptist.
The choir of the Church has a white marble high altar. The base of the high altar is divided into five compartments with a gold damask background, which display scenes from the life of Saint Louis. The apse and the stained-glass windows depicting the Life of Jesus by the Nicolas Lorin workshop, Chartres, 1879. They are enriched with a gallery of angels on the first level. Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem; Peter’s First Communion; The Resurrection; The Pilgrims of Emmaus; and the Pentecost. The apse and the high altar in the sanctuary. The belt of statues under a canopy, topped by large stained-glass windows depicting the life of Jesus, gives the apse a certain elegance. The transept arms are on two levels, unlike the nave and the choir. Here, the north liturgical arm with its altarpiece and large stained-glass window by the Henri Feur workshop. Altar of the south liturgical arm of the transept: six saints surround the Virgin of 1880. The Sacred Heart surrounded by six saints.
It houses one of the largest symphonic organs in the Aquitaine region and undoubtedly the most beautiful by Wenner. It dates from 1880. Restored in 1985, it is an exceptional instrument for concerts year-round.
Victor Lambinet sculpted the saints for the altars of the Virgin and the Sacred Heart, located in the arms of the transept. You can also admire the 18C Carrara marble baptismal font. It also has a superb 18C mahogany sacristy from the former Carmelite church, as well as the pulpit lampshade and the transept confessionals. The pulpit dates from 1880.
A bit of history tell us that the current church is the successor, on the same site, to an old church completed in 1735, dedicated to Our Lady of the Visitation, and managed by the Discalced Carmelites, who arrived in Bordeaux in 1626. It was the Carmelites who, in 1726, first proposed the construction of a church. Intendant Tourny had already set himself the task of developing the Chartrons district. In 1746, he had thus linked the suburb to the city by the opening of the “grande allée” (current Cours de Verdun), as well as to the Saint-Seurin district via the public garden. The construction of a large church and the subsequent development of the surrounding streets fitted perfectly into the intendant’s plans. Work began in 1758 before being definitively stopped in 1760, the year of Tourny’s death, when the walls barely protruded from the ground. The church was built between 1874 and 1880 according to the plans of the architect Pierre-Charles Brun on the site of a Carmelite convent erected in 1721. It was consecrated in 1895.
The City of Bordeaux on its heritage : https://www.bordeaux.fr/decouvrir-et-visiter-bordeaux-entre-patrimoine-culture-et-art-de-vivre#toc-les-monuments-incontournables
The Bordeaux Tourist office on the Chartrons: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/district/chartrons.html
The official Parrish of Bordeaux on Saint Nicolas de Chartrons : https://www.paroissebordeauxchartrons.fr/saint-louis-des-chartrons/vie-de-la-paroisse/art-et-histoire-de-l039eglise-st-louis/
There you go folks, Bordeaux is it. A wonderful City full of life ambiance , architecture, history and a lot more ; one of the cities of France a must to visit, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Saint-Louis-des-Chartrons of Bordeaux !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels , good health and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 