Imagine whispers echoing through time within the walls of the Chapelle du monastère du Carmel. This chapel stands as a testament to faith art and a turbulent history. It is located at 70 rue de Vaugirard in Paris.
The Chapelle du monastère du Carmel started with two sisters. These sisters came from Rome in 1610. They wanted to found a convent. Queen-Regent Marie de Médicis laid the first stone in 1613. She lived nearby in the Luxembourg Palace. By 1620 the exterior was mostly done. The first mass was held in 1620 on Saint Joseph’s Day. In 1625 the church was consecrated. It became the first church in Paris dedicated to Saint Joseph.
The adjoining convent housed forty to sixty novices. A men’s community of Carmelites also lived here. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection lived here. His writings became part of the Christian text. It is called The Practice of the Presence of God.
The French Revolution brought immense change. In 1789 the National Assembly nationalized church property. Priests had to swear an oath. Many refused. These priests became targets. In 1792 about one thousand priests were imprisoned here at Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes.
Rumors spread that a Prussian Army was coming to rescue the King. Georges Danton called for the execution of those who did not fight the Prussians. The September Massacres followed from September 2 to 4 in 1792. Over 1400 people died. One hundred fifteen priests were killed at Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes. They were given a last chance to swear allegiance. Then they were killed in the garden. The stairway is now called the Stairway of Martyrs.
The church continued as a prison until the Revolution ended. A second massacre occurred in 1794. Forty-nine aristocrats were executed. Empress Joséphine was also held here. She survived and married Napoleon Bonaparte.
In 1797 Madamoiselle de Soyecourt bought the church. She restored it for Carmelite sisters. One cell from this time remains. It can still be visited.
In 1841 the Archbishop of Paris bought the buildings. He used them for ecclesiastical studies. In 1851 it became a parish church. In 1875 the Catholic University of Paris moved here. It was later renamed the Catholic Institute of Paris. Today the seminary uses the church. It also serves as a parish church.
During the construction of Rue de Rennes in 1867 the graves of the massacred priests were found. The remains were moved to the Crypt of Martyrs. The crypt was dedicated in 1868.
The exterior shows Classical and Italian Baroque styles. The facade has three levels. It is crowned by a triangular fronton. A statue of the Virgin Mary stands there. The facade was reworked in the 1870s.
The dome was a novelty in Paris. It was only the second dome built here. Louis and Lucien Dovillard designed it. Other domes soon followed.
Inside the Chapelle du monastère du Carmel the interior is Baroque. Colors illusions and movement fill the space. Doric columns and pilasters line the nave. They are painted to look like marble.
The cupola is distinctly Italian. It sits over the transept. Walter Damery painted the interior in 1644. It shows Elijah riding a chariot of fire.
The high altar was ordered in 1633. Simon Guillain and François Anguier did the carvings. Quentin Varin painted the altarpiece. It shows the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
The Chapel of Saint Anne is colorful. It has Baroque paintings gilding and sculpture. Pierre Brûlart de Sillery sponsored it. The art tells the story of the Virgin Mary and Saint Anne.
The Chapel of Saint Jacques has Baroque art. Jacques d’Estampes de Molinay and his family sponsored it. Pierre van Mol painted the altar painting. It depicts Saint James the Great.
Antonio Raggi created the marble statue of the Virgin Mary in the Chapel of the Virgin. Cardinal Antonio Barberini gave it to the church. The altar resembles a Roman temple.
The Chapel of the Martyrs of 1792 lists the names of the victims of the September Massacres. Claude Deruet painted floral bouquets on the arches. They are some of the earliest decorations.
Paul Buffet and his brother Amédée painted the Chapel of Thérèse of Lisieux. One panel shows the Saint watching over French soldiers in World War I.
The Crypt of the Martyrs holds the remains of those killed in the September Massacres. One hundred ninety-one were beatified in 1926. Frédéric Ozanam’s tomb is also here.
As you leave the Chapelle du monastère du Carmel remember the layers of history within these walls. This chapel stands as a reminder of faith art and the resilience of the human spirit.