Hidden within Saint-Germain-en-Laye stands the Église Saint-Léger. Its modern lines belie a history stretching back to the early Middle Ages. This is not your typical Parisian church.
The Église Saint-Léger’s story begins long before its twentieth-century construction. Saint Léger himself lived from around 616 to 678. He was a significant figure. First abbot of Saint-Maixent-en-Poitou then bishop of Autun. He was martyred near Arras. His relics were later transferred to Saint-Maixent. A sanctuary dedicated to him was established between Chambourcy and Saint-Germain-en-Laye towards the end of the seventh century.
A hamlet grew around a chapel dedicated to Saint Léger. King Thierry III built this chapel. He honored Saint Léger’s martyrdom. The parish of Saint-Léger-en-Laye was created under King Robert the Pious. Its existence is confirmed as early as 1314. Interestingly it belonged to the diocese of Chartres. Its neighbor Saint-Germain-en-Laye was part of the diocese of Paris. The original Église Saint-Léger stood at the location of the current Villa Campan. It was near the RN13. The presbytery was at number 17 Rue du Maréchal-Gallieni.
The church thrived. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the stream helped the hamlet grow. People cultivated nearby land. Mills and tanneries were established. By the eighteenth century two watermills five linen bleacheries and three tanneries were present. The 1789 cahier de doléances mentions marshes land and vineyards. The Hennemont farm an abbey and a convent were also mentioned.
The French Revolution changed everything. The parish of Saint-Léger was suppressed. It was annexed to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Saint-Germain-en-Laye gained many agricultural lands and vineyards. The Église Saint-Léger the presbytery and its outbuildings were sold as national property. The old church was then demolished.
After World War II Saint-Germain-en-Laye expanded. A second parish was needed. Father Gufflet decided to build a new church. It would be dedicated to Saint Léger. The new church stands in the grounds of the Maison Verte. This is a large bourgeois residence from the early nineteenth century. It became the new presbytery.
Jean-Baptiste Hourlier and Ivan Gury designed the new Église Saint-Léger. Hourlier was chief architect of historical monuments. Gury was his son-in-law and an architect of civil buildings and national palaces. The triangular building features an exposed high-span roof structure. It is a simple modern design. The stained-glass windows are made of colored resin by master glassmaker Petit. They fill the church with light and color.
The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Alexandre Renard of Versailles. The Église Saint-Léger was consecrated. A new parish of Saint Léger was created. Father Jacques Pénicaud became its first priest. In 2012 the church celebrated its 50th anniversary. Bishop Éric Aumonier celebrated mass there.
Even amidst the upheavals of the Revolution one small wooden statue of Saint Léger survived. It was saved from the fire. A Saint-Germain-en-Laye resident secretly rescued it. Now it stands near the altar in the present-day Église Saint-Léger. This humble statue serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring faith that shaped this unique church.