Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Yves chapel, located in the heart of the Cité du Souvenir in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, was erected in 1925 at the initiative of Abbé Alfred Keller. The purpose of the project was to honour soldiers who died during the First World War while providing shelter for the families of the victims. Father Keller, marked by the misery of the families of soldiers, bought the Saint-Yves plateau with donations and his personal fortune, and built there a set of houses with moderate rent, with the chapel as a central element, symbolizing that "God is in the center".

The chapel, designed by architects Léon Besnard and D. Boulenger, is distinguished by its brick and concrete facade, decorated with frescoes by George Desvallières between 1931 and 1932. These works represent in particular the rise to the sky of the hair, framed by saints, as well as the painter's son, who died at the front at the age of 17, wrapped in the French flag. The building, integrated into a building, has a choir classified as a historical monument since 1996, and still hosts offices, including a mass in Polish every Sunday.

The Cité du Souvenir, built between 1926 and 1930, embodies a social and spiritual response to war, mixing popular habitat and collective memory. George Desvallières, co-founder of the Sacred Art Workshops in 1919, left a major artistic imprint there, with stained glass and paintings evoking biblical and patriotic scenes. Classified by order of 5 August 1996, the chapel remains a place of worship and commemoration, private property linked to the parish of Saint-Dominique.

The architectural ensemble, of reinforced concrete coated with bricks, reflects the constructive innovations of the inter-war period. The five bells hanging on the wall of the building, above the chapel, recall its religious and memorial vocation. The exact address, 11 rue Saint-Yves, and its status as a historical monument make it a remarkable heritage site, testifying to both the social history of Paris and the sacred art of the twentieth century.

External links