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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Marie-et-Saint-Marc, originally named church of Sainte-Monique, was built in Châtenay-Malabry as part of the Work of the Cardinal's Buildings by Abbé Jean Millé, the first pastor and former chaplain of Stanislas College in Paris. Integrated with the Garden City of the Red Butt, it reflects the urbanization and religious expansion of the 20th century in this Parisian suburbs. Its sober and functional architecture was designed to meet the needs of a growing Catholic parish.

In 1989, the church was ceded to the Coptic Orthodox Church by François Favreau, marking a change of confession and liturgical renewal. Renamed Sainte-Marie-Saint-Marc, it was consecrated on 12 February 1995 by Chenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark's preaching. This transition led to architectural adaptations, such as the addition of an iconostasis decorated by the nuns of the monastery of St.Damian in Egypt, to bring the building into line with the Coptic rites.

The church also served as a cinematic setting: scenes from Jean Girault's film "The Holy Year" (1976) with Jean Gabin and Jean-Claude Brially were shot there. In the film, it is presented as a fictional Roman chapel, San Lazzaro, illustrating its aesthetic versatility and its integration into French popular culture.

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