Chapelle Expiatoire
Encyclopedia
The Chapelle expiatoire ("Expiatory Chapel") is a chapel
located in the eighth arrondissement
, of Paris
, France
. This chapel is dedicated to King Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette, although they are formally buried in the Basilica of St Denis.
, who, with his partner Charles Percier
, had recently figured among the favourite architects of Napoleon. Fontaine's assistant Louis-Hippolyte Lebas
oversaw the construction. The chapel was partly constructed on the grounds of the former Madeleine Cemetery
where King Louis XVI
and Queen Marie-Antoinette had been buried after they had been guillotined.
King Louis XVIII
shared the 3 million livre
s expense of building the Chapelle expiatoire with the Duchess of Angoulême
. Construction took ten years, and the chapel was inaugurated in 1826 in the presence of Charles X
. On blessing the cornerstone of the Chapelle expiatoire, Hyacinthe-Louis de Quelen
, Archbishop of Paris
, called in vain for an amnesty of the exiled members of the National Convention
.
The Chapelle expiatoire stands on a slight rise. There are two buildings separated by a courtyard which is surrounded by an enclosed cloister-like precinct, a peristyle
, that isolates the chapel from the outside world. The building on Rue Pasquier is the entrance. There is an inscription above the entrance, which reads (translated):
In the courtyard are cenotaphs
to those who were known to be buried in this location.
The chapel itself is entered through a pediment
ed tetrastyle portico, of a sombre Doric order
. It contains a domed space at the center of a Greek cross, formed by three coffered half-domed apse
s with oculi
, that supplement the subdued natural light entering through the skylight of the main dome. The cubic, semicylindrical and hemispheric volumes recall the central planning of High Renaissance churches, as much as they do a Greco-Roman martyrium
. White marble sculptures of the king and queen in ecstatic attitudes were made by François Joseph Bosio
and Jean-Pierre Cortot
. There is also a bas-relief, by French sculptor François-Antoine Gérard (who also did some of the other carvings) showing the exhumation and removal of the remains of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to the Basilica of St Denis.
The crypt
contains a black and white marble altar intended to mark the place where the royal remains were found.
The Chapelle expiatoire is without doubt the most uncompromising late neoclassical religious building of Paris. Chateaubriand
found it "the most remarkable edifice in Paris". The chapel's severe geometry is unrelieved by sculpture as can be seen by the view from rue d'Anjou.
In May 1871 The Commune
demanded that the Chapel be torn down, fortunately this was never put into effect.
Every January 21, a memorial mass is held in the chapel to commorate the death of Louis XVI.
The Chapel was severely damaged by storm in 2009.
station is Saint-Augustin station
.
If you also want to visit the Madeleine Church
, the Madeleine station
.
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
located in the eighth arrondissement
VIIIe arrondissement
The 8th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.Situated on the right bank of the River Seine and centred on the Opéra, the 8th is, together with the 1st and 9th arrondissements and 16th arrondissement and 17th arrondissement, one of Paris's main...
, of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. This chapel is dedicated to King Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette, although they are formally buried in the Basilica of St Denis.
History and construction
The chapel was designed in 1816 by the French Neo-Classical architect Pierre François Léonard FontainePierre François Léonard Fontaine
Pierre François Léonard Fontaine was a neoclassical French architect, interior decorator and designer.Starting from 1794 Fontaine worked in such close partnership with Charles Percier, originally his friend from student days, that it is difficult to distinguish their work...
, who, with his partner Charles Percier
Charles Percier
Charles Percier was a neoclassical French architect, interior decorator and designer, who worked in a close partnership with Pierre François Léonard Fontaine, originally his friend from student days...
, had recently figured among the favourite architects of Napoleon. Fontaine's assistant Louis-Hippolyte Lebas
Louis-Hippolyte Lebas
Louis-Hippolyte Lebas was a French architect working in a rational and severe Neoclassical style, who was trained in the atelier of Percier and Fontaine, the favoured architects of Napoleon...
oversaw the construction. The chapel was partly constructed on the grounds of the former Madeleine Cemetery
Madeleine Cemetery
Cimetière de la Madeleine is also the name of a cemetery in AmiensMadeleine Cemetery in French known as Cimetière de la Madeleine is a former cemetery in Paris, part of the land on which the Chapelle expiatoire now stands.-History and location:...
where King Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and Queen Marie-Antoinette had been buried after they had been guillotined.
King Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
shared the 3 million livre
Livré
Livré-la-Touche is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. Prior to October 6, 2008, it was known as Livré....
s expense of building the Chapelle expiatoire with the Duchess of Angoulême
Duchess of Angoulême
Several women have borne the title of Duchess of Angoulême. Among these are:* Joan II of Navarre, daughter of King Louis X of France, wife of Philippe d'Évreux, who was created Duke of Angoulême in 1317...
. Construction took ten years, and the chapel was inaugurated in 1826 in the presence of Charles X
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
. On blessing the cornerstone of the Chapelle expiatoire, Hyacinthe-Louis de Quelen
Hyacinthe-Louis De Quelen
Hyacinthe-Louis De Quelen was Archbishop of Paris.-Biography:Born in Paris, he was educated at the College of Navarre. Ordained in 1807, he served a year as Vicar-General of Saint-Brieuc and then became secretary to Cardinal Fesch. When the latter was sent back to his diocese, de Quelen exercised...
, Archbishop of Paris
Archbishop of Paris
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on...
, called in vain for an amnesty of the exiled members of the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
.
Building and courtyard
Peristyle
In Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture a peristyle is a columned porch or open colonnade in a building surrounding a court that may contain an internal garden. Tetrastoon is another name for this feature...
, that isolates the chapel from the outside world. The building on Rue Pasquier is the entrance. There is an inscription above the entrance, which reads (translated):
In the courtyard are cenotaphs
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
to those who were known to be buried in this location.
The chapel itself is entered through a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed tetrastyle portico, of a sombre Doric order
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
. It contains a domed space at the center of a Greek cross, formed by three coffered half-domed apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s with oculi
Oculus
An Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
, that supplement the subdued natural light entering through the skylight of the main dome. The cubic, semicylindrical and hemispheric volumes recall the central planning of High Renaissance churches, as much as they do a Greco-Roman martyrium
Martyrium
Martyrium may refer to:* Martyrium , album by unblack metal band Antestor* Martyrium, destroyed village of Oradour-sur-Glane in France.* Martyrium , early christian mausoleum for a martyr....
. White marble sculptures of the king and queen in ecstatic attitudes were made by François Joseph Bosio
François Joseph Bosio
Baron François Joseph Bosio was a French sculptor who achieved distinction in the first quarter of the nineteenth century with his work for Napoleon and for the restored French monarchy.-Biography:...
and Jean-Pierre Cortot
Jean-Pierre Cortot
Jean-Pierre Cortot was a French sculptor.- Life :Cortot was born and died in Paris. He was educated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and took the Prix de Rome in 1809, residing in the Villa Medici in Rome from 1810 to 1813.Cortot worked in an austere, correct, academic neo-classical style,...
. There is also a bas-relief, by French sculptor François-Antoine Gérard (who also did some of the other carvings) showing the exhumation and removal of the remains of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to the Basilica of St Denis.
The crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
contains a black and white marble altar intended to mark the place where the royal remains were found.
The Chapelle expiatoire is without doubt the most uncompromising late neoclassical religious building of Paris. Chateaubriand
François-René de Chateaubriand
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature.-Early life and exile:...
found it "the most remarkable edifice in Paris". The chapel's severe geometry is unrelieved by sculpture as can be seen by the view from rue d'Anjou.
Later history
In 1862, the cypresses which surrounded the chapel were cut down, and a public park (Square Louis XVI) was created around the complex. It is a peaceful oasis in a busy city.In May 1871 The Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
demanded that the Chapel be torn down, fortunately this was never put into effect.
Every January 21, a memorial mass is held in the chapel to commorate the death of Louis XVI.
The Chapel was severely damaged by storm in 2009.
Getting there
The nearest MetroParis Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
station is Saint-Augustin station
Saint-Augustin (Paris Metro)
Saint-Augustin is a station that serves Line 9 of the Paris Métro, named after the Place Saint-Augustin and the Saint-Augustin church. The station opened on 27 May 1923 with the extension of the line from Trocadéro....
.
If you also want to visit the Madeleine Church
Église de la Madeleine
L'église de la Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church occupying a commanding position in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army...
, the Madeleine station
Madeleine (Paris Metro)
Madeleine is a station on lines 8, 12 and 14 of the Paris Métro in central Paris and the 8th arrondissement.The station was opened on 5 November 1910 as part of the original section of the Nord-Sud Company's line A between Porte de Versailles and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. On 27 March 1931 line A...
.