Paris1972-Versailles2003

I am taken you back to Paris, yes a never ending story, The eternal city never stop amazing me of its beauty and things to see even if worked in it for almost 10 years while visiting zillion times living nearby in Versailles, Once again, found me older pictures in one cd rom that should be in my blog, These are wondertful architecture gems glad to have them here for you and me. Therefore, here is my take on the Church Notre Dame d’Esperance of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Church Notre-Dame-d’Espérance is located at 47 rue de la Roquette, at the corner of rue du Commandant-Lamy, in the 11éme arrondissement or district of Paris. The current church stands out for its modernity and brightness. It was consecrated on December 14, 1997, by Cardinal Lustiger. It is part of a group of very different churches built in Paris around the year 2000 under the leadership of Cardinal Lustiger.

Between 1928-1930, the Church Notre-Dame-d’Espérance was built. The sculpted façade overlooking rue du Commandant-Lamy symbolizes woodwork. The church was in the care of the Sons of Charity missionaries until 1973, and was then transferred to the priests of the Archdiocese of Paris. The façade, facing Rue de la Roquette is composed of twenty-two large squares of glass covered in writing. Each element is formed of three layers of glass, the middle of which, made of thick glass, slightly tinted sea green, is engraved with quotations from the New Testament. The writing is in boustrophedon mode, meaning that every other line is legible from the outside of the church, while the next line is legible from the inside. The letters themselves from the outside, the texts are taken from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, while from the inside, one can read parts of the Gospel of John and the Epistles of Peter. The façade on Rue du Commandant-Lamy is covered with texts from the Old Testament, with, from bottom to top, a line recalling biblical places, another biblical characters, then the books of the Bible and the names of the prophets. The text on the corner tower is by the prophet Micah and links the Old Testament texts on Rue du Commandant-Lamy to the New Testament texts on Rue de la Roquette.

The right-hand tower is the bell tower, where the two bells, Geneviève and Lucie, from the old church, have been replaced. The top of the tower ends in a rounded corner topped with a cross. Three meters above the ground, a niche features a stained-glass window installed in 2021, depicting a modern interpretation of the Tree of Jesse. This niche was previously protected by a glass pane, and it housed the bronze and ivory statue of Notre Dame d’Esperance or Our Lady of Hope,dating from 1930. This Virgin, whose original in pink Tournus stone is inside the church, is better known as the Virgin and Child or the Motherhood.

The interior is bare. The altar and the symbolic cross are lit by daylight from a skylight.
The altar includes a round base symbolizing the shared earth, on which rests the Eucharistic table that unites it. The altar was created in 2006. At the back, in the skylight, the highly symbolic cross is composed of an old beam dating from the 18C for the vertical upright, and three gold squares for the horizontal crosspiece, It signifies the power of Christ’s Incarnation in the world and the Glory of His Resurrection. It was consecrated by Bishop Lustiger on January 18, 2003.

A bit of history I like tell us that in the 13C, the district was occupied by a Cistercian abbey, around which artisans gathered, particularly furniture makers, as the proximity of the Seine allowed for a supply of wood. Following the abbey’s liberation from guild supervision granted as a privilege by Louis XI, who exempted artisans from heavy taxes, cabinetmakers, gilders, varnishers, marquetry workers, and upholsterers became increasingly numerous. In the 18C, the population of the Saint-Antoine quartier or neighborhood was the largest in Paris in terms of workers, and it was they who constituted the majority of the rioters of the 1789 French revolution. Father Jean-Émile Anizan settled in this working-class neighborhood in 1910. He had a chapel built in 1912 and on December 25, 1918, founded the congregation of the Sons of Charity, whose vocation was to share the lives of the poorest, working particularly for young people. In 1928, the Church Notre Dame d’Espérance was built in concrete on rue du Commandant Lamy. The Sons of Charity left the parish in 1973 to join more modest circles in France or in Third World countries. The church was ceded to the Diocese of Paris, which, in 1994, demolished it due to its poor condition, which made it dangerous to open to the public. It was decided to rebuild the church, opening it onto rue de la Roquette. On March 12, 1995, the last Mass was celebrated in the 1928 church, then on March 19 the first Mass was celebrated in a temporary church set up at 27 passage Thiéré, which housed the parish community until the opening of the new church at the end of 1997.

The official parish Church Notre Dame d’Esperance on its history : https://www.notredameesperance.com/histoire-notre-dame-esperance-paris/

The official Diocese of Paris on its churches see 11 arrondissement and the church : https://dioceseparis.fr/-paroisses-.html

There you go folks, this is another memorable post on my eternal Paris! Yes, the most beautiful city in the world, is the least we can say, And while at it marvel of its wonderful architecture and history, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Notre Dame d’Esperance of Paris !!! as I

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