Have you ever wondered why this church is called Notre-Dame des Champs? The church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. The name refers to the fields that once stretched across this area. The first building on this site was a Roman temple dedicated to the god Mercury. After the Christianization of France, the temple was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and renamed Notre-Dame-des-Vignes. In the 11th century, the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Marmoutier took over the church. They cleared the surrounding vineyards and, in honor of the Virgin Mary, the church was renamed Notre-Dame-des-Champs. During the French Revolution, the church was destroyed by revolutionaries, but a small chapel was built in the original crypt in 1856. During the Second Empire, the neighborhood grew rapidly due to the construction of the Gare Montparnasse in 1840. To serve the growing population of the area, the church was rebuilt between 1867 and 1876. The new church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs features an iron frame designed by Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel’s structure allowed for a taller building with fewer supporting columns and larger windows, which let light flood the interior. The church is open to the public from 8 am until 7:30 pm every day.
Église Notre-Dame de l’Air
Beneath what appears to be a simple stone and wood structure lies a history interwoven with faith aviation and community.