Abbey of Penthemont

The abbey of Penthemont is located at Paris, 37-39 Rue of Bellechasse and 104-106 Rue of Grenelle.

History

Founded in 1217 per Philippe de Dreux close to Beauvais, the abbey of Penthemont (or Pentemont , Panthemont or Pantemont ) sudden in 1670 a flood which ruined its convent and settled in 1672 in Paris, in the buildings of a convent of the sisters augustines of the Congregation of the incarnated Verb, removed in 1670.

The establishment had vocation to accommodate young girls of the high society and to be used as place of retreat for ladies of quality. Joséphine de Beauharnais remained some time there whereas she pled in separation against its first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais. Louise d' Esparbès de Lussan, countess of Polastron and future mistress of the count d' Artois, was placed there by its family which found it too young (fifteen years) to live with her young eighteen year old husband. One carried out a social life to it and cultural active and the grids, not very unpleasing, were entrouvaient however for those which wanted to go to activities in “the world”.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the buildings inherited Augustines were decayed and too exiguous. Marie-Catherine de Béthizy de Mézières, who was named abbess in 1743, decided to entirely rebuild the conventual complex. Several architects were solicited: Blondel published in the Encyclopédie a project of François II Franque, but it is Pierre Telling of Ivry which was retained.

The first stone was posed in 1747, but the funds did not cease missing, in spite of the gifts of the Dauphin and of Armand-Gaston de Rohan-Soubise, cardinal-archbishop of Strasbourg. Work was spread out almost until the Revolution and was continued after the death of Telling in 1777 by one named Petit; moreover, the project finally carried out is much less sumptuous than that which Telling in its Œuvres in 1769 published.

The abbey was removed in 1790 and the buildings became national property. Into 1803, they were transformed into barracks for the national guard, then for the imperial guard under the Empire, and for the Hundred Guards under the Second Empire. The vault was emptied of all its furniture and was entresolée to be used as warehouses. In 1843, it was devoted to the reformed worship. The remainder of the buildings preserved its military assignment. In 1915, they were placed at the disposal of the service of the pensions of the ministry for the War. They shelter the ministry for the War veterans today.

The vault

The first stone of the vault was posed by the Dauphin in 1753. She was blessed in 1756 and was completed in 1766.

The vault comprises a nave of centered plan overcome by a cupola, then the chorus of the nuns, of lengthened plan, finally a tower which included/understood a back-chorus in ground floor, an oratory on the first floor, and undoubtedly a bell-tower partly high. The Coupole is built according to the technique of the Voûte sarrazine, introduced into the north of France by Telling of Ivry.

Into 1844, the vault was transformed into temple protesting by Victor Baltard. To install the organ case, this one condemned the door on the street of Grenelle and transformed into doors the two side openings. It removed the Maître-autel located between the nave and the chorus of the nuns, as well as the triumphal arch which surmounted it and the primitive organ, located above the high altar, and the secondary furnace bridges located at the two ends of the Transept.

Conventual buildings

The conventual buildings, completed in 1783, were separated from the vault in 1843. They moreover were somewhat transformed under the French revolution, then at the time of the opening of the Rue of Bellechasse in 1805, which involved the demolition of part of the buildings.

There remain almost nothing original interior installations, apart from some elements of decoration in the old abbey home. One notices especially the hall and the cage of the large staircase (destroyed) as well as the central fore-part on the garden.

List abbesses of Penthemont (outline)

Marie Anne Benigne of Rohan-Guéméné (1690-1743)
1743: Marie-Catherine de Béthizy de Mézières

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