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Origin and history

The church Saint-Lubin-et-Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Rambouillet is a neo-Gothic building built in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century (1868-1871) to replace a medieval church deemed too small and dilapidated. As early as 1847, parish priest Pierre Jouy alerted the state of the old building, located in Place René-Masson, and in 1858 proposed a new location. The project was officially launched in 1860 by the City Council, which unanimously voted on its construction and created a commission to choose its location. A local surcharge (grant) is introduced to finance the work, initially estimated at 340,000 francs.

A first project, entrusted to architect Alexandre de Grigny, was rejected after criticism by diocesan architect Hippolyte Blondel. A public competition was held in August 1864, with five proposals selected in January 1865. The project of Baudot's Anatole, a student of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, won on May 30, 1865 for its Gothic Revival style inspired by the 13th century, marked by a Latin cross plan and cast iron columns. The expropriations to develop the surroundings (including Napoleon Street) took place in 1867-1868, and the first stone was laid on 14 April 1868. The church was consecrated on 5 September 1871 by Bishop Mabile, Bishop of Versailles.

Funding combines public funds (100,000 francs from the Ministry of Cults), a personal donation from Napoleon III (100,000 francs), and a municipal loan (200,000 francs). In 1870, two statues of angel musicians, carved by François-Antoine Zoegger and Louis-Gustave Gaudran, were installed behind the choir. The ancient medieval church was destroyed in 1872. The building, owned by the commune, was listed as a historical monument in 2003 for its rationalist architecture and history linked to the Second Empire.

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