This is Elisabethville in Aubergenville !!!

Posted in France, Versailles

I am , again reviving old glories of my belle France I used to lived not far from here, and came by often. It is very easy from Paris too. I am able to do this post as found me the picture in my cd rom vaults that should be in my blog for you and me. Anyway ,this is a nice off the beaten path town that is worth a detour, me think. Therefore, let me tell you on this is Elisabethville in Aubergenville !!! Hope you enjoy as I

The main thing here is the part of Élisabethville, once a resort town, is today a residential area of Aubergenville located in the Yvelines department 78 of my belle France, It is straddling the towns of Aubergenville and Épône. This residential area was founded in 1928, owing its name to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, who accepted the patronage of this project. It is located 41 km from Paris and 13 km from Mantes-la-Jolie. The main town of Aubergenville is served by the A13 autoroute de Normandie at exit/sortie 9, and by the RD 113 (former N13).


In 1921, the garden city of Élisabethville was created along the Seine river on the grounds of the former château de la Garenne. Part of this town extends into the neighboring town of Épône (see post). This resort town then included a golf course, a casino, and was developed according to fairly strict specifications with numerous Anglo-Norman villas and period-style pavilions that contributed to the elegance of this holiday center. One of the most remarkable things to see here is the former church of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus,(see below) a reinforced concrete structure with sculptures embedded in the concrete, dating from 1928. Also noteworthy is the Monument to Franco-Belgian Friendship, a concrete statue erected in 1927 in the center of the Place de l’Étoile to commemorate and symbolize Franco-Belgian friendship following the intervention of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, the town’s patron. Also, the Church of St. Ouen, located in the center of the old town of Aubergenville, dating back to the 12C. The massive, square-sectioned bell tower dates from the 14C. It was roofed with slate in 1766.

The main thing here the reason of this post and gladly found me a picture is the former church Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus , today named the Sainte-Thérèse Cultural Center, (see pic) a former Catholic church. It was one of the first religious buildings constructed of reinforced concrete in France, and the first church entirely built and sculpted from concrete. Located on Place de Louvain in ​​Elisabethville , town of Aubergenville, The church was built as a votive chapel dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, in homage to Franco-Belgian friendship. The church features a high nave, 20 meters tall, topped by a spire reaching 45 meters. The façade includes the entrance portal. The door, painted blue, is decorated with the symbols of the Evangelists Matthew (angel), Mark (winged lion), Luke (winged bull), and John (eagle). Its unique feature is that it opens fully, thus extending the length of the nave for special ceremonies, such as the inauguration in 1928 and the memorial service in 1965 for the death of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. The main sculptures in the center of the façade depict Cardinal Mercier, Primate of Belgium, above the entrance porch, and above him, Saint Michael (on the left) and Saint Joan of Arc (on the right); between them are the superimposed coats of arms of Belgium and France. Above is the name of the church: Sancta Teresiae a Jesu infante (Saint Teresa of Jesus the Enfant). On the sides are sculpted angels bearing coats of arms and models of churches from villages devastated during the Great War or WWI. At the top of the façade is a statue of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, with outstretched arms, scattering stylized roses . Finally, there is a crucified Jesus supported by God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, thus forming the Trinity. To the left of the façade, the chapel of the dead is marked at its summit by a veiled cross. To the right, the baptismal font is adorned with a sparkling star.

Inside the church ,the sides of the nave are decorated with cast sculptures of Joan of Arc, bas-reliefs of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint James the Greater, Saint Christopher, Saint Hubert, and the Holy Curé of Ars. The stained-glass windows were installed in 1933, during the second phase of renovations, at the same time as the paintings in the chancel. The central sections of the stained-glass windows were installed in 1998. The murals in the choir, baptistery, and mortuary chapel were painted between 1930 and 1933. In 1965, following the measures adopted by the Second Vatican Council, the interior layout and furnishings were modified. This led to the removal of the concrete altar and pulpit, and the relocation of the statue of Saint Thérèse. It was subsequently purchased by the town of Aubergenville in 1983. The statue of Saint Thérèse was returned to its place in the choir on September 20, 1997. The last stained-glass windows in the nave were installed for the 70th anniversary exhibition of the building in 1998

The former church of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus is part of the campaign to build religious buildings in the Parisian suburbs during the interwar period, and primarily in the 1920s. The church was built six years after the start of construction on the Élisabethville housing estate, which began in 1921 and was intended to symbolize Franco-Belgian friendship. The name Élisabethville was chosen in homage to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. The construction of the church, made of approximately 500 cubic meters of concrete, was completed in one year, from September 18, 1927 to July 1, 1928, the date on which it was consecrated by the Bishop of Versailles. In 1997, the church was deconsecrated by the Catholic Church.

A bit of history tell us that the territory of Élisabethville was formerly part of the fiefdom of La Garenne, known since the late 11C, dependent on the lordship of Aubergenville, and stretching along the Seine from Les Mureaux to Mézières (see posts). Jean-Antoine Randon d’Hannecourt, secretary to the king’s chamber, owned the estate and the château in 1766. The estate and the château were sold as national property in 1794, but later returned to the family. The La Garenne estate was purchased on May 21, 1921, by Edmond Ramoisy, a financier of Belgian origin, on behalf of the limited company La Belgique Prévoyante, founded in 1904. In 1922 and 1923, he established the specifications for the housing development to be built on this estate, a development which, until 1927, bore the name “La Garenne d’Aubergenville.”, then Elisabethville, Easily accessible from Paris thanks to the Aubergenville-Élisabethville train station, the seaside resort was equipped with an artificial beach ,with swimming pools from 1937 on the left bank of the Seine, hotels and restaurants listed in the Michelin guide, and formerly had a casino and a golf course where competitions took place like the Figaro Cup. It is now a residential area, part of the town of Aubergenville,

The Local Terres de Seine tourist office on the Espace Culturel Sainte Thérése : https://www.terres-de-seine.fr/decouvrir/patrimoine/edifice-culturel-sainte-therese-delisabethville/

The Yvelines dept 78 tourist office on the Espace Culturel Sainte Thérése : https://www.destination-yvelines.fr/visites-et-decouvertes/edifice-religieux-sainte-therese-a-elisabethville/

The town of Aubergenville on its history : https://aubergenville.fr/votre-ville/decouvrir-aubergenville/histoire-daubergenville

There you go folks, another dandy in my former Yvelines, and as said this area of Elisabethville is worth the detour , me think,  Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Elisabethville in Aubergenville !!! as I. 

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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