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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-des-Missions of Épinay-sur-Seine originates in the pavilion of the Catholic Missions of the International Colonial Exhibition of 1931 at the Bois de Vincennes. Designed by architect Paul Tournon at the request of Marshal Hubert Lyautey and Admiral Lucien Lacaze, this pavilion celebrating the "missionary conquest" of the Catholic Church was to be destroyed after the exhibition. Thanks to a national subscription and the donation of land by the Firmin-Didot family, it was rebuilt in 1932 in Epinay-sur-Seine in reinforced concrete, replacing the initial light materials. The building then became a parish church, inaugurated in 1933 by Cardinal Jean Verdier, as part of the Cardinal's Work of Buildings aimed at Christianizing the Parisian suburbs.

The church façade, inspired by half-Annamite half-Art Deco, incorporates a variety of architectural elements: a Chinese pagoda with three roofs, Buddhist and African motifs, and a bell tower evoking a minaret. The master glassmaker Marguerite Huré used her innovative technique of "Huré brick" (1930), while artists from the Ateliers d'Art Sacré — founded by Maurice Denis and Georges Desvallières — realized stained glass, frescoes and sculptures. The twelve frescoes of the nave trace evangelization through the centuries, coordinated by Henri de Maistre, and the stained glass windows, dominated by degraded blues, were created under the direction of Jean Hébert-Stevens.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 1994, the church is considered a masterpiece of 20th century sacred art, alongside the Golden Gate Palace, another vestige of the Colonial Exhibition. Owned by the diocese of Saint-Denis, it remains an active place of worship, with masses celebrated every week. In 2016, she was honoured with a postage stamp drawn by Christophe Laborde-Balen. Its restoration in the 2000s preserved its unique decorations, including the four colossal statues of the bell tower, symbolizing the "Four breeds", carved in concrete by Carlo Sarrabezolles according to his technique of direct size.

The building also illustrates the links between colonization and the Catholic mission, its iconography glorifying the action of missionaries around the world. The frescoes, such as that of Saint Francis Xavier in India or Canadian martyrs, reflect this universalist vision. Finally, her Baptistery, decorated by Elizabeth Branly (wife of Tournon), and her crypt under the high altar testify to an innovative spatial design for the time, mixing religious symbolism and architectural audacity.

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