Saint-Leon Church, Paris

Saint-Leon Church
Église Saint-Leon-de-Paris
48°50′41″N 2°16′45″E
Location	1 Place du Cardinal Amette in the 15th arrondissement of Paris
Country	France
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1924
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Emile Brunet
Style	Gothic Revival (exterior) and Art Deco (interior)
Completed	1934
Administration
Archdiocese	Paris
Parish	Saint-Leon, Paris

Saint-Leon Church (Eglise Saint-Léon) is a Roman Catholic church located at 1 Place du Cardinal Amette in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Built between 1924 and 1934, with a neo-Romanesque facade and a neo-Byzantine e interior, with an abundance of elaborate mosaics and colorful period stained glass, it is a very good example of Paris religious architecture in the first half of the 20th century.

History

The rapid growth of the Paris population in the early 20th century created a need for new churches. The church was designed by Emile Brunet, and the first stone laid in 1924. The construction used reinforced concrete and cement, which mae the structure stronger and less expensive. The exterior was covered with polychrome bricks. The church tooks its name from Pope Leo I, and also from Cardinal Leon Amette of Paris, and Leon Thelier, the husband of the principal donor to the church construction. and

Exterior

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  Entrance of the church with mosaics of Saint Leo the Great.
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  Mosaics and munticolor bricks decorating the facade
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  The choir of the church

The concrete structure of the church is entirely covered, inside and out, with multicolor bricks, which give it a more luminous and softer appearance. The facade is decorated with mosaics over the portal depicting scenes from the life of Saint Leo the Great, including the legendary account of Saint Leo persuading Atilla the Hun to depart Rome without destroying the city.

Interior

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  The nave and choir
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  Interior of the spire
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  Stained glass in the chapel of the Virgin
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  Interior mosaic of Saint john,
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  The tribune

The chapel of the Virgin, in the apse, is covered by a large mosaic in the vault above depicting "The crowning the Virgin." THe mosaic was made by Pierre Chaudiere and the daughter of Auguste Labouret. The central mosaic is surrounded by other scenes of the life of Virgin, and angels singing litanies to her. The stained glass windows in the chapel also depict scenes from the life of the Virgin.

Stained Glass

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  Window devoted to Saint Paul
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  Window devoted to Saint Denis
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  An abstract window

The stained glass windows in the church date mostly to about 1920. They come from the studio of master glassmaker Auguste Labouret.

Sculpture

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  Saint Therese, by Bouchard (1930) (Saint-Leon Church, Paris)

Several sculptural works were made by Henri Bouchard (1875-1960)

The Organ

The organ in the tribune

The organ, located in the tribune at the rear of the church, was built by the French firm of Mutin in 1920.

External Sources

• [1] Article on site patrimoine-histoire.fr
• [2] Article on French Wikipedia

Bibliography

• "Paris d'eglise en eglise", Massin (editor), ISBN 978-2-7072-0583-4