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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Sceaux found its origins in the 12th century with a chapel dedicated to Saint Mammès, while the village depended on the parish of Châtenay. At the beginning of the 13th century, Seals became an independent parish, and a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built in 1203 at the site of the old chapel. An altar of the eighteenth century, still present in the right side chapel, preserves a reliquary of Saint Mammès offered in 1726 by the Duke of Maine, accompanied by a altarpiece probably painted at the same time and coming from the castle of Seals.

In the 15th century, the building was enlarged in 1476 by the local lord John II Baillet. Damaged by a fire in 1530, the church was partially rebuilt in 1545. Between 1719 and 1726, parish priest Guy-Louis Baudouin led the expansion and restoration work, giving the building its present proportions. During the Revolution, the church was transformed into a temple of Reason (1793), then a temple of the Supreme Being (1794), before being returned to Catholic worship in 1795.

The church furniture bears witness to its rich past: a sculpted group of the Baptism of Jesus by Jean-Baptiste Tuby (1635-1700), 16th century stained glass windows and works by master glassmaker Émile Hirsch (1898-1899). The organ, installed in the 18th century and restored several times, comes from the convent of Sainte-Catherine-du-Val-des-Écoles. Recent archaeological excavations (2014-2021) revealed medieval burials and the empty vault of the Duke of Maine and his wife.

Ranked a historic monument in 1929, the church underwent three major restoration phases between 2014 and 2021, covering the structure, interior decorations, stained glass windows and organ. This work, supported by DRAC Île-de-France, has preserved its architectural and artistic heritage, while modernizing its equipment (heating, electricity, security). The building remains an active place of worship and a witness to the religious, political and artistic transformations of Seals since the Middle Ages.

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