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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-des-Pauvres church was built between 1954 and 1955 to replace a chapel destroyed in 1942 during the bombings. Located at Gallieni Boulevard in Issy-les-Moulineaux, it responded to the need to serve the Plaine district, without any post-war place of worship. Its modern architecture, awarded at the 1953 Salon d'Art Sacré, reflects the innovation of the 1950s, with a trapezoidal plan adapted to the shape of the terrain and a characteristic concrete veil.

The non-figurative stained glass windows, works of the Russian painter Léon Zack in collaboration with master glassmaker Henri Déchanet, combine lyrical and geometric abstraction. The stone walls of Valreuil, a blue-veined ochre, harmonize with these windows, while the path of the cross, engraved by Zack and his daughter Irene, and the stained glass windows of the Baptistery signed Jean Lesquibe enrich ornamentation. The building thus embodies a synthesis between contemporary sacred art and raw materials.

The history of its construction is closely linked to the local community: architect Jean-Blaise Lombard, 26-year-old scout leader, was chosen by Abbé Pailloncy, chaplain of Issy-les-Moulineaux. This "issen" project also benefited from the links between Lombard and Léon Zack, whose workshop was nearby in Vanves. Since 2007, the church has been listed as historical monuments, recognizing its heritage and artistic value.

Before its destruction in 1942, the chapel Notre-Dame de la Plaine, built in 1921 rue Camille-Desmoulins, served the area. The bombings of September 1942, during the Second World War, made it necessary to rebuild a place of worship, leading to this ambitious architectural project, a symbol of renewal for the parish and the city.

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