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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule replaces a medieval chapel dedicated to Saint James and Saint Philip, dependent on a maladry founded in the 13th century by workers of the Mint exposed to leprosy. Initially simple relief chapel, it became an independent parish in 1699, but its state of disrepair prompted the authorities to consider its reconstruction as early as the 18th century. The inhabitants, forced to celebrate the services in a stable, demand a place of worship worthy of their growing neighbourhood.

The construction of the present church began in 1774 under the direction of architect Jean-François Chalgrin, on a land offered by Louis XV after the abandonment of a first project in 1741, considered geologically unstable. The work, interrupted by the king's death in 1774 and financial difficulties, ended in 1784 at a total cost of 300,000 pounds. The building, inspired by the Paleo-Christian basilicas, is distinguished by its cradle vault and doric peristyle, but the two planned bell towers will never be built.

In the 19th century, the church underwent two major reshaping campaigns: in 1846 by Godde, who opened glasses in the vault and opened the choir, and in 1853 by Baltard, who added an ambulance and a chapel of catechisms. Theodore Chassériau then decorated the cul-de-four of a Descent of the Cross (1855). The church, closed during the Revolution, was returned to Catholic worship in 1795. Over the centuries, it has hosted important events, such as the funeral of the Duchess of Alençon (1897) or Raimu (1946).

Ranked a historic monument in 1993, Saint-Philippe-du-Roule illustrates the architectural and social evolution of the suburbs of Roule, from a rural hamlet to a prestigious Parisian district. Its history reflects the tensions between artistic ambitions, technical constraints (unstable soil) and financial realities, as well as the urban transformations of Paris in the 18th and 19th centuries.

During World War II, its bells were requisitioned by the Germans in 1941 to be melted into ammunition, depriving it of ringing at the liberation of Paris in 1944. A metal campanile is added later. Today, the church remains an active place of worship and a major testimony of religious neo-classicism in France.

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