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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Élisabeth-de-Hungary, located at 195 rue du Temple in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, is a Catholic religious building, which began construction in 1628 under the direction of master mason Louis Noblet. The first stone was laid by Queen Mary of Medici on May 14, 1628. The work, interrupted in 1631, resumed in 1643 under Michel Villedo and ended around 1646. The church was consecrated on 14 July 1646 by Jean-François Paul de Gondi, future Cardinal of Retz, in the presence of Queen Anne of Austria. Originally it served as a chapel in the monastery of the Franciscan Sisters of the Third Order, dedicated to the education of young girls and the elderly, of which probably Spirit Madeleine Poquelin, daughter of Molière.

During the French Revolution, the nuns were expelled on 29 August 1792, and their confessor, Abbé Georges Girault, was murdered in the Carmelites on 2 September 1792, becoming a beatified martyr in 1926. The chapel was transformed into a flour depot, called "Elisabeth Store", until 1802. Nearby, the royal family was imprisoned in the Temple Tower. The church was restored to worship in the early 19th century and became the parish church of the Temple district, replacing Sainte-Marie-du-Temple, destroyed during the Revolution.

In the 19th century, the church was enlarged by architect Étienne-Hippolyte Godde, who added a choir, a walk-through and two side chapels. In 1845, the parish priest Éloi Jousselin installed the carved stalls of Saint Vaast d'Arras Abbey and a large organ. The current organ, built by Louis Suret in 1853 and restored in 1999, is classified as a historical monument. In 1937 the church was itself classified, and in 1938 it became the Parisian place of worship of the sovereign order of Malta, while remaining an active parish. During World War II, Jews were hidden there.

The church houses two organs: the organ of the gallery, a major work by Suret, and John Abbey's choir organ (1925). Its classical façade, inspired by the Jesuit style, is decorated with a Pieta by Joseph-Michel-Ange Pollet and four statues of the Second Empire. Today, it hosts Masses in French and Mandarin, classical concerts thanks to its remarkable acoustics, and offices of the Order of Malta. A plaque pays tribute to Canon Albert Marcadé, pastor from 1923 to 1947, who contributed to its preservation and cultural outreach.

In 2007, the church celebrated the 8th centenary of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary with solemn ceremonies, including a procession to Notre-Dame de Paris. In 2016, it was the starting point of a procession for Saint Martin's 1700th anniversary. Its parish perimeter extends over a part of the 3rd and 11th arrondissements, including the Circus Winter. The church remains a place of spiritual, historical and artistic life, marked by its monarchy, revolutionary and charitable past.

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