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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Louis de Fontainebleau found its origins in the early 17th century, when the inhabitants, dependent on the parish of Avon, obtained a chapel dedicated to Saint Louis. Built between 1611 and 1614 under the leadership of Marie de Medici, it became an independent parish in 1661 thanks to Louis XIV and Anne of Austria. His parish register retained royal acts, such as the baptism of Louis Lully, son of musician Jean-Baptiste Lully, in 1677.

During the Revolution, the church was transformed into a temple of Reason by the Jacobins in 1793. Piled and devastated, she lost her historic bell, melted to create a new one in Veneux-les-Sablons. In the 19th century, Napoleon III financed his expansion (1852–68) to give him a monumental character, reflecting the importance of Fontainebleau as an imperial city.

On January 10, 2016, arson ravaged part of the building, destroying works classified as the statue of the Virgin of Franchard (14th century) and a 15th century altarpiece. The organ, offered by Louis XIV and restored by Cavaillé-Coll, is partially damaged. This event, followed by a national mobilisation, highlights the heritage and symbolic value of the church.

The building houses remarkable furniture, including a 17th-century organ buffet and a 1701 girouette, a local symbol. The list of his priests, from Antoine Durand (1661) to José Antonini (since 2014), bears witness to his anchoring in the religious and royal history of France. Ranked a historic monument in 1949, it remains an active place of worship and a witness to the political and artistic upheavals of the region.

Its architecture combines Baroque heritage (initial chapel) and neo-classical transformations (enlargement of the 19th century). The original girouette, found in 2021, illustrates the efforts to preserve this heritage. The church thus embodies the collective memory of Fontainebleau, between devotion, royal power and resilience to destruction.

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