Église Saint-François-d'Assise

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The building was conceived, according to the plans of Henri Prouvé, from 1959 to 1961 with the programme being the realisation of a parish centre rather than a church properly speaking. The lower ground floor is indeed devoted to cultural parish activities whilst the upper ground floor is reserved for spaces with a liturgical purpose. The building is distinguished by its singular circular form and its monumental scale. This construction in reinforced concrete and metal, of centred plan, responds to the structural rationalist theories of the post-war modern movement, tempered by Prouvé's taste for detail and his very careful execution, playing on the expressive power of forms and the contrast between the large blind surfaces and light magnified by the stained glass. Henri Prouvé associated with the realisation of this project: Jean-Marie Benoît (1930-2008) for the stained glass, Françoise Malaprade (1934-2024) for the decorations in moulded concrete bas-relief, as well as Antoine-René Giguet (1920-2009) for the painted decoration.