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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Chantilly, located in the department of l'Oise in the Hauts-de-France region, was built between 1687 and 1692 at the initiative of Prince Henri-Jules de Bourbon-Condé. This project met the will vow of his father, the Grand Condé, who wanted to offer a place of worship to the inhabitants of Chantilly, then in full demographic expansion due to the work of the princely estate. The plans were designed by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and the building was completed in record time, reflecting the classic sober style typical of the period.

The church was designed to compensate for the absence of a place of worship accessible to the workers and servants of the castle, forced to go to Saint-Léonard or Gouvieux, distant parishes. The Grand Condé, aware of the logistical and religious difficulties, had envisaged the construction of a chapel in 1684. When he died in 1686, his son Henri-Jules inherited this mission, financed by family fortune. The inspection of 1692 revealed a spacious church for 500 to 600 people, although without baptismal fonts and blessing upon completion.

The founding of the parish of Chantilly in 1692 marked a turning point, with its dismemberment of the nearby parishes of Saint-Léonard and Gouvieux. The priest, appointed by the prince, had an annual income of £300, while the factory received an identical amount for maintenance. The church was consecrated on 31 March 1692, a date considered as the official foundation of Chantilly. The relics of Saints Hermes and Sigismund were placed there, and paintings ordered from Louis de Boullogne came to adorn the altars.

Between 1724 and 1734, the church was enlarged to respond to population growth, from three to four spans, and saw its slopes extended. This expansion, ordered by Louis IV Henri de Bourbon-Condé, brought the building to more than 70% of its original size. The adjacent cemetery was inaugurated in 1736, while the church became a place of principal celebrations at major religious festivals.

The French Revolution marked a dramatic turning point: in 1793 the church was transformed into a temple of Reason, its sacred objects burned or stolen, and the hearts of the princes of Condé, transferred from Paris in 1791, were desecrated. The priest Robert, who resisted the civil constitution of the clergy, was deported and died in 1809. The hearts, saved by a resident, were resettled in the church in 1814, before being definitively transferred to the castle chapel in 1883.

In the 19th century, the church regained its religious vocation, with restorations and the addition of memorials, such as that dedicated to the hearts of the Conde in 1854. The organ, installed in 1858 by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, and the paintings classified as historical monuments in 1912, bear witness to its rich artistic heritage. Today, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption remains an emblematic building, classified as a historical monument in 1965, and a symbol of Chantilly's religious and princely history.

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