The Saint-Louis cathedral of Versailles is a traditional church of style built with Versailles (Yvelines) by the Architecte Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne. It was devoted Cathédrale in 1843. The frontage, decorated doric columns and Corinthian, is flanked of two bell-towers. A Clocher with bulb is posed with the top of crossed Transept.

The church is classified historic building since 1906.

Origins of the parish

The church of the village of Versailles, before the construction of the castle, was dedicated to Saint Julien de Brioude. This church was demolished in 1681. On its site the large commun run of the castle was built. The church Saint Julien was rebuilt in the new city. It had a transitory existence besides. In 1684, Louis XIV posed the first stone of a new building: the Notre-Dame parish which gave its name to the district.

The inhabitants of the Versailles old man, the Park to the Stags and the close streets, with the number from approximately four thousand fifty, did not lay out any more a any place of worship. Notre-Dame was far and her difficult access, since it was then necessary to cross the place of weapons to go there. When, at the end of the 17th century, this part of the city took extension, the architects charged to draw up the plans did not fail to envisage a church. As of 1725, one had built with the angle of the streets of Satory and Anjou, close to the kitchen garden of the King, a long provisional vault of about thirty meters, flanked of collateral and surrounded by a cemetery. One started to bury there in the month of April 1727, to baptize on May 17th, 1728 there.

It was only one branch of the Notre-Dame parish. It was served by two chaplains, priests of the Mission, like those of the church mother. As the district developed, it was necessary to think of giving him religious autonomy. By decree of Mgr of Vintimille, archbishop of Paris, dated June 4th, 1730, the vault was set up in parish under the patronage of Louis saint.

The inhabitants had to be satisfied with this vault during several years. They were however increasingly numerous. Lastly, about 1740, one solved to build a true church. But one did not want to change the practices that the parishioners had taken. It was thus decided that the monument would be built beside the vault, and almost in opposite. There was a vast place which appeared perfectly to be appropriate for this destination.

The construction of the church

Louis XV indicated Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne, grandson of the architect of Louis XIV, with the great dissatisfaction with Angel-Jacques Gabriel, architect official of the king who hoped well to receive the order.

The first work was carried out in May 1742. The contractors encountered unexpected difficulties immediately. The ground was spongy and lent itself badly to the establishment of solids foundations. Piles had to be inserted.

The first stone solemnly was posed by the archbishop of Paris on June 12th, 1743. Louis XV placed him even in a cavity dug for this purpose a gold medal and four medals of money, then carried out the sealing of the stone of base.

Construction was very slow. The Saint-Louis church was indeed finished only twelve years later. The inauguration occurred without glares on August 24th, 1754, without the presence of the royal family because the dauphine one, Marie-Josèphe of Saxony, had been confined the son day before (the future Louis XVI). The following year the king made gift of six bells which had as godmothers the queen (Marie), the dauphine one (Joséphine), and the four girls of Louis XV: Adelaide, Victoire, Sophie and Louise. The old vault was destroyed as well as the house of the lazarists which attenait there. In 1760, one built being next to the church, a hotel where the priests of the Saint-Louis church settled. Because about these priests, one gave again at the building the name of House of Lazaristes. This building, since, always kept its vocation of presbytery.

In 1764, the architect Louis-François Trouard raised beyond the left arm of the transept a vault known as of the mass grave (because it was intended to receive the bodies of late deceased with the castle. It took then the name of vault of Providence. Interior work of sculpture was also undertaken in 1764. They were never finished.

History of the building

The Saint-Louis church undergoes few transformations until the Revolution and its history is stripped of major events, the royal parish remaining Notre-Dame. However when opened the General states of 1789, it was in Saint-Louis that the solemn procession (started from Notre-Dame) went and it is pulpit of the church which the bishop of Nancy denounced the abuses the Court. Several meetings of the States were also taken place in Saint-Louis in June. The 22, the Serment of the Play of palm were renewed there.

In 1790, Versailles became seat of a évêché. The first constitutional bishop, Monseigneur Avoine, choose Notre-Dame for cathedral. Thereafter, the Saint-Louis church was closed and, the majority of the objects of worship having been confiscated, was transformed into temple of Abundance. One him was reproduced the attributes of them, on the frontage a plowman was even painted, on the frontispiece of the church. As soon as the catholic worship was restores, the constitutional bishop who had succeeded Monseigneur Avoine, Mgr Clement, preferred Saint-Louis with Notre-Dame and thus the church became definitively cathedral. January 3rd, 1805, the Pope Black and white VII, come with Paris for the sacring from the emperor Napoleon I {{er}}, was accommodated in the Saint-Louis cathedral by the first bishop Concordat surface, Monseigneur Charrier.

Louis XVIII and Charles X did not on the occasion to go in the cathedral. On the other hand Louis-Philippe Te Deum assisted with a sung in 1837 following the catch of Constantine.

In 1843, Monseigneur Blanquart de Bailleul devotes the cathedral which had been only bénite during its inauguration. In 1906, the cathedral is classified “historic building”.

During the revolution, the church had undergone rather serious damage which all was little by little unobtrusive.

Architectural comments

Outside

Mansart adopted the traditional plan of a Latin cross, with a nave, collateral flanked vaults, a transept, a chorus surrounded by a déambulatoire semicircular half-compartment by an apse finished by an axial vault dedicated to the Virgin. The arms of the transept are of round form. The church is not directed, the Master furnace bridge is placed towards the south.

The frontage is located on emmarchement of eight degrees and comprises two stages. The lower stage is bored by three doors. The principal one is flanked of six doric columns; two side doors of two columns of the same order. The second stage, which reigns only on the central part, repeats the provision of the ground floor exactly. It opens on a bay in semicircular arch in the upper part of which a clock was placed. Two broad volutes against-butt this stage.

With the top, the frontage is deadened by a summoned triangular pediment of a gilded cross. The weapons of France, hammered with the Revolution, surmounted by a royal crown are alongside of two wings.

The two turns of square plan, are slightly in withdrawal of the frontage. They are decorated with leant and surmounted doric columns stone vases. The pillars of angle are placed according to the diagonals in an original way.

These two turns are chapeautées of a dome traced on a square with the slightly shot down angles. Each dome is completed by a counter-curve which supports a bulbous arrow. A similar provision is found with the square of the transept or the dome of more important aspect is surmounted by a sphere dominated by a cross.

It is believed that by adopting this damping in the shape of bulb, the architect delicately wanted to recall to the queen of France Marie Leszczyńska, the religious buildings of his native Poland. It is not impossible.

Interior

The interior reflects this a little cold nobility, softened by the delicacy of the style in honor under Louis XV. The nave, with five spans, is stressed committed pilasters of a rather mean relief, deadened by Corinthian capitals. One will admire the beauty of the cartridges which mark the key of each large arcade. They are framed garlands of pinks. With the reverse of the frontage, the stone platform is supported by a large arc which is pressed each side on a console. It is raised in accodance to carry the organ case of Clicquot.

With the top of the large arcades, the church is lit by bays with glasses whose vaults penetrate in those of the nave, according to the usual process employed at that time. Long, high with 23, the nave 93 meters is indeed covered with a vault with penetration whose built-in beams are installed with the archstones of the cradles and reach nearly one meter thickness. The vaults of collateral fall down on pillars with the Corinthian capitals.

The square of the transept is covered with a cupola on pendentive carved. It itself is surmounted by one second cap to the flattened dome whose sculptures were never finished, as the presence of the stones in embossing establishes it.

Each arm of the transept is completed in hemicycle, a furnace bridge being placed against the wall gouttereau (i.e supporting a gutter). This furnace bridge is flanked of two beautiful doors of carved oak. Above each one of these doors platforms are. According to the tradition, those would have been reserved to the hosts of the palate when they attended the offices of Saint-Louis and, under the First Empire, with the VIP invited to the public ceremonies.

The chorus, circular, comprise three spans and an apse. The pillars, like the cornice, are with identical those of the nave. The déambulatoire which surrounds the chorus stops, with the height of the axial vault. It is claimed that it is by measurement of economy that it was thus built. The axial vault, which is completed by an apse, thus opens directly behind the high altar.

The vaults which flank the collateral ones and the déambulatoire are dedicated, of the left side, with Julien saint, the Departeds, holy Genevieve and Pierre saint. Beyond the left arm of the transept, one finds the vault of the ecce homo, those of Francois, saint Vincent saint of Paul, Crowned Heart and Joseph saint. Right-sided, presents initially the vault of the baptismal font, then those of the Presentation of the very Blessed Virgin and saint Charles (which occupies two spans). Beyond the transept, the three vaults which surround the chorus are dedicated to good Pasteur, to Louis saint, and Jean-Baptiste saint.

The vault of Providence is next to, on the left the vaults of Ecce Homo and François saint. One penetrates there by the interior. It is a formed rectangular building of a central room, whose dome is arched crowned boxes of a oculus which lets enter the day, and of two other smaller rooms which flanked formerly the Master furnace bridge. It is lit by four surmounted windows of low reliefs carried out by the sculptor Augustin Pajou. Another low relief is with the top of the central door. Medallions also due to Pajou, decorate the walls.

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