Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Protestant temple of Boissy-Saint-Léger was erected in 1885 at the initiative of Caroline Delessert, widow of Jean-Henri Hottinguer, mayor of the commune from 1844 to 1852. The latter, son of banker Jean-Conrad Hottinguer, had founded a normal school for Protestant teachers in Boissy. When he died in 1866, his wife financed the construction of the temple, designed as a chapel for the castle of the Piple, the school and the inhabitants. Architect H. The Clerc designs a brick and white stone building, while Eugene Casalis, an influential pastor, oversees the spiritual project.

The sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, famous for the Statue of Liberty, realized in 1874 the tympanum of the temple, a bas-relief entitled "Faith and Hope", overcoming the inscription "God is Love". Two angels symbolize these virtues: one carries a cross (the Faith), the other an anchor (the Hope). The temple was inaugurated on 29 April 1875 in the presence of renowned pastors such as Ernest Dhombres, Eugene Bersier and Khun. Its neo-Roman interior features biblical verses and a chair focused on the faithful, reflecting its use both private and community.

In 2001, Baron Henri Hottinguer, descendant of the founding family, financed a presbyteral house built in 2007. The temple, still active, belongs to the united Protestant Church of France. Its artistic heritage, including Bartholdi's tympanum, and its history of Protestant education make it an emblematic place of the Val-de-Marne.

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