Notre Dame de France

Introduction

Notre Dame de France, the French Church in London, is a circular church built in 1955 to designs by Hector Corfiato, replacing an earlier church, with walls of narrow red brick with raked joints and stone dressings.

History

The church was opened on 11 June 1868, with Mass celebrated by Bishop Grant of Southwark and the sermon preached by Archbishop Manning. In 1940 Boileau's church suffered bomb damage, but was repaired in the following year by architects Hall, Easton & Robertson. The statue of Our Lady of Victories was destroyed, but the head was salvaged and parachuted into France in 1942, where it was restored and incorporated in a new figure by sculptor Henri Vallette, returning to London in 1945. The foundation stone, brought from Chartres Cathedral, was laid on 31 May 1953 by Maurice Schumann, French Foreign Secretary.

The new church was circular on plan with twelve Tuscan columns supporting a domed roof, with an ambulatory and galleries around the central space. The church was listed Grade II in 1998. The architect was Professor Hector Corfiato, a graduate of the École des Beaux Arts de Paris and practising as Corfiato, Thomson & Partners. The contractors were C P Roberts & Co of Holborn.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is on a circular plan with an ambulatory having a gallery over, the altar placed at the east side on an oval platform, the Lady Chapel to the north and the baptistery to the south. The circular interior is surrounded by an ambulatory, divided from the central space by an arcade of stone Tuscan columns, with a coffered ceiling and central roof-light. The Lady Chapel is oval on plan, top-lit, and its three walls are decorated with murals by Cocteau: the Annunciation, the Crucifixion (signed and dated), and the Assumption.

The font is of Vosges sandstone, made by Les Ateliers de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame de Strasbourg, with relief carvings by Emile Stoll of Alsace. The Lady altar has a Mosaic of the Nativity frontispiece by Russian artist Boris Anrep. The font is located in the baptistery to the south side, drum-shaped with relief decoration on a semi-circular step against a fluted apsidal backdrop. There are screens to the north and south of the altar and in the baptistery, pierced with circular and cross motifs.

The Annunciation mural depicts a disproportionately large angel standing to one side of a vase containing lilies, and a delicate rendering of Mary with eyes closed. The Assumption mural depicts Mary ascending to heaven with a choir of haloed angels with trumpets, surrounded by complex lines of red, yellow and blue emerging from her unravelling shroud.

Parish life

Notre Dame de France brings together the French-speaking Catholic community of London. The church welcomes the French-speaking Catholic community of London and West End neighbours, celebrates Christ, evangelises, educates, serves the poorest and builds community. The community is of great cultural and social diversity, coming from Africa, Asia and Europe, and touches a large number of young adults.

The church is a Catholic Francophone church and chaplaincy run by Marist communities. The church provides religious education, sacramental preparation, youth and family ministry for French speakers.

Ensemble Les Fauristes animates occasional Masses and feasts and gives sacred and classical music concerts. The Taizé Prayer group is an international ecumenical prayer group using Taizé chants.

The Equipes Tandem offer newly married couples the opportunity to deepen themes from marriage preparation in a team. Gaudete is for young professionals and students who wish to live, share and grow their faith.

The Scouts et Guides de France group NDF Première Londres includes scout and guide troops, and louveteaux and louvettes. The Scouts Unitaires de France group St Thomas Becket includes louveteaux/jeannettes, scouts/guides, routiers and guides aînées.

The Association of Mauritian Christians in London promotes Christian Mauritian culture and helps Mauritians in need. The EDC London group for Christian entrepreneurs and executives meets monthly for sharing, prayer, and reflection.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish runs a Sunday School and a network of 8 chaplaincy branches. The chaplaincy offers catechesis to children from CE1 to Terminale, in French, preparing them for the sacraments. The Marist Fathers have been responsible for leading the community of Notre Dame de France since 1865.

Notable people and events

Cocteau agreed to execute the work without remuneration, covering his own accommodation costs, asking only that his assistants be paid. Professor Georges-Laurent Saupique and his students at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, were responsible for sculpture and other carved stonework on the exterior in 1953. Cocteau was also commissioned to design a crucifix and two candelabra for the altar, crafted by ceramicist Madeleine Jolly, but these appear to have been lost in transit and were never installed.

Visiting

A virtual tour is available online, letting visitors explore the church's historical and architectural heritage. Leicester Square underground station and several bus routes provide access to the church.