I couldn’t wait to get back and see the final results. With the possibility to view the restoration under the exceptionally brilliant light we’ve enjoyed recently, it seemed the perfect time to make a new visit.
Back in July, the rest of the church was still mostly hidden by high scaffolding, required no doubt to reach the summits of this important edifice, and covered with white plastic. But even a quick glimpse of one restored chapel, dedicated to Saint Margarite, as seen under the blasting sunlight of last summer, revealed the promising first steps of the full restauration, now complete. Somehow the effect in that single chapel, of glistening golden arcs and curves, of contrasts of rich reds and royal blue, splattered abundantly with the amber-colored light from a southern exposed window, stopped me in my tracks.
The present structure, dating from the earliest pre-gothic period – before Notre Dame or St. Denis – was built upon the oldest Christian foundations here, and is one of the largest churches in Paris. After the Revolution, it was brilliantly re-decorated under the supervision of Baltard, by the mid-19th century painter Hippolyte Flandrin (if you have forgotten his name, I’ve included a world-famous painting of his, at the Louvre, at the end of the slideshow), but the structure as well as the appearance were sorely in need of attention. I’ve heard this has cost 5,200,000 euros to this point, from various sources including private donations. A joy for the eyes, and the spirit, and I’m glad to share it here with these pictures.
