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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Catholic church Notre-Dame-du-Travail, located 59 rue Vercingétorix in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, was built between 1899 and 1902 under the direction of architect Jules-Godefroy Astruc. Initiated by Fr Roger Soulange-Bodin, it replaces a church that has become too small for the 35,000 inhabitants of the workers' district of Plaisance. His goal was to unite workers around a place of worship, ready for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The building is distinguished by its apparent metal frame, inspired by the Eiffel Tower and industrial stations, a first for a Catholic church.

The metal frame, reused from the Industrial Palace of the Exhibition of 1855, allows to cover a large space with few supports. Despite this technical innovation, the facade retains a traditional Romanesque style made of cut stone, masking the bold interior. The bell, reported from Sevastopol after the Crimean War (1855), was installed in the church garden before being placed in 1976 at the top of the tower. Inside, adorned with Art Nouveau murals and a cross path carved in 1994, mixes religious symbols and tributes to worker labor.

Ranked a historical monument in 2016 (after a first partial protection in 1976), the church embodies the alliance between industrial modernity and spirituality. It was designed for the workers of the universal exhibitions, as evidenced by its name, Notre-Dame-du-Travail. In July 2024, she was subjected to an act of vandalism (a stabbed statue, anti-Christian graffiti), recalling contemporary tensions around religious heritage.

The organ, installed in 1991 by Haerpfer, has two consoles (mechanical and electrical), while the absidial chapel houses a Virgin surrounded by trade symbols, highlighting the social vocation of the building. The successive priests, including Abbé Soulange-Bodin (1896–1910), marked his history, between parish management and preservation of a unique place, at the crossroads of art, industry and faith.

The architecture of Jules Astruc, a student of Victor Laloux (designer of the station of Orsay), is part of the constructive innovation movement of the time. The choice of metal, less expensive than a traditional structure, also reflects a willingness to adapt to the needs of a working population. Today, the church remains a symbol of the Parisian heritage, between working memory and technical audacity.

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