Sainte-Odile, Paris

Sainte-Odile is a Roman Catholic church located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, at 2 avenue Stephane-Mallarme, near the Porte de Champerret at the northwest edge of the city. It takes its name from Odile of Alsace, the patron saint of that region. It was constructed between 1935 and 1946, and is a rare example of Art Deco architecture among the churches of Paris. Its bell tower, 72 meters high, is the tallest in Paris. It is also known for its remarkable collection of Art Deco stained-glass windows. It was classified as French historic monument in 2001.

History 
The project for a new church was launched by a popular journalist and curé of the church of Saint-Francois-Sales, Eugene-Edmond Loutil (1863-1959). He presented the idea to Cardinal Verdier, who was in the process of building over one hundred new churches in Paris, but was told that there was no more funding available. Loutil used his position as a journalist to appeal for funds, and raised the money needed to begin. To honour the patron saint of his native Alsace, Saint Odile, he gave the new church that name.   

For the architect of the project Loutil selected Jacques Barge (1904-1979), only thirty years old and only four years out of architecture school. It was the only church he built in Paris; he concentrated later on constructing  buildings in his native province of Indre.

Work on the church began in 1935 and was planned to last for three years, but in 1938, a left-wing movement, the Popular Front, took charge of the government. Construction was delayed by two nation-wide strikes, and then by the outbreak of World War II. The church was not completed until after the war, in 1946.

Exterior 
The design by Barge was inspired by, but did not copy literally, classical Roman and Byzantine architecture,  notably Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, with its three domes, and Périgueux Cathedral, begun in the 10th century. The octagonal bell tower resembled the minarets at Hagia Sofia. The original plan had one drawback; in summer, the three domes are largely hidden by the trees around the church.

The architect Jacques Barge included some very subtle symbolism into his plan. The bell tower in seventy-two meters high, and the church is the same length. This (or seventy in some versions) is the number of Disciples of Christ mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. 

The church was constructed of reinforced concrete, which made possible the large open space in the interior and the large stained-glass windows. However, bare concrete was not yet considered an appropriate material for the exterior of a church. Therefore, most of the interior and exterior of the church were clad in brick and stone, often laid in imaginative geometric designs.

The Cupolas and Bell Tower 

The three cupolas, which bring a small amount of light to the interior, are constructed of thin reinforced concrete covered with a layer of copper. 

The bell tower was designed to be separate from the church building, to prevent the vibration of the bells from harming the church structure. It was constructed to hold twenty-three regular bells, plus three larger bells.

Tympanum and Portal 
The Tympanum, the sculptural bas-relief sculpture over the main portal, is the most striking feature of the facade. It was made by Anne-Marie Roux-Colas (1898-1993). It depicts the Virgin Mary introducing Saint Odile to the Heavenly Father and to Christ.  The central scene is surrounded by figures of angel musicians, gathered in nine choirs, who welcome Saint Odile.

Below the tympanum is the portal to the church, decorated with a design of cast iron framing cabochons, or medallions of glass decorated with litanies of the Virgin Mary. The portal decoration is the work of Raymond Subes.

Interior 
The interior of the church has an abundance of Art Deco detail. The architect commissioned special works from the glass artist Francois Decorchemont, the ceramic artist Robert Barriot, the mosaic artist Labouret, and the sculptor Roux-Colas to create original works. The arcades along the right wall of the nave have columns with Art Deco capitals, and interior walls decorated with designs of rose-colored brick and stone placed in geometric patterns.

The Choir 
The Choir is particularly rich in art. The ceramics artist Robert Barriot was in charge of the decoration of the choir. During the fifteen years that the choir was under construction, he and his family lived in the bell tower of the church. Barriot made  the major work of the choir, the retable, the screen behind the altar. The retable is 3.17 meters high. It is composed of copper hammered into the forms of Biblical figures and then enamelled. The lower portion depicts "The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse" while the upper portion depicts "The Twenty-Eight Elders surrounding the Heavenly Father." 

The altar in the choir was made by the glass craftsman Auguste Labouret (1871-1964), who did not complete it until 1953. Its decoration consists of thick pieces of coloured glass shattered into small pieces with a hammer, then shaped and composed into a sculpture which reflects light.  It depicts two orange peacocks, which were a symbol of immortality in Roman catacombs, surrounded by interlaced floral designs of gray and green glass. 

Atop the altar is the tabernacle, beneath a sculpture of a lamb by Robert Barriot. Barriot also made the copper sculpture of a lamb at the feet of the Heavenly Father. Above the altar and retable are a group if narrow stained glass windows. grouped around the central window depicting Saint Odile.

Art and Decoration

Stained Glass 
The Art Deco stained glass is a distinctive feature of the church. It has three hundred square meters of stained glass windows, created between 1935 and 1938 by Francois Decorchemont. 

The glass is displayed in the three large windows in the nave. All three windows are crowded with colorful Biblical figures and events. The center windows is devoted to scenes from the life of Saint-Odile (largely based on legend). The left window presents scenes from the life of Saint Raphael, and the right window presents the life of Archangel Saint Michael. These windows feature scenes depicting the Apostles spreading Christianity throughout France, and include a depiction of Saint Joan of Arc praying to Saint Michael. 

Decorchement introduced several modern technical innovations in his windows. Instead of separating the pieces of glass with strips of lead, the practice of Gothic glass artists, he used cement. Also, instead of painting scenes on the glass in enamel paints which were then baked onto the glass, the common practice after the late Middle Ages, he used a much more difficult system using "pate de verre", or glass paste, made in different colors. Each piece of glass had its own distinct color. The fine details of the faces and costumes were not painted on, as in traditional stained glass, but colored with a furrow of pate de verre combined with cement.

Sculpture

Organs 
The grand organ is located in the tribune over the portal to the nave, facing the choir. it was built in 1950 by the firm Rochesson-Beuchet-Debierre.

Online sources 
 French Wikipedia article on the church (in French)

"Patrimoine-histoire" article on the history and art of the church (in French)

References

Roman Catholic churches in Paris
Monuments historiques of Paris