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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot, located at 31 avenue Marceau in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, replaces a medieval building that has become too small. Built between 1931 and 1938 under the direction of architect Émile Bois, it is financed by gifts from the faithful. Its architecture combines Byzantine and Romanesque styles, with a reinforced concrete structure typical of the 1930s, including five octagonal domes and a 65-metre bell tower.

The old church, dating from the 11th century and partially rebuilt over the centuries, was one of the 51 urban parishes of Paris in 1790. Destroyed in two phases to give way to the new building, it leaves as a vestige only a statue of the Virgin, the Virgin of Chaillot. The present church, inaugurated on May 18, 1938 by Cardinal Verdier, became a place of worship frequented by personalities such as Bishop Roncalli, future Pope John XXIII, between 1945 and 1953.

The interior is distinguished by its frescoes by Nicolas Untersteller, its windows by Mauméjean, and its sculptures by Henri Bouchard, including a monumental tympanum depicting the life of Saint Peter. The low church, in the shape of a Greek cross, evokes a catacomb with its altar dedicated to the deaths of the First World War. The larger upper church takes up this plan centered under a central dome surrounded by four secondary domes.

Ranked a historic monument in 2016 and labeled a 20th century heritage, the church houses two remarkable organs: a choir organ renovated by Alfred Kern in 1974, and large organs built by Daniel Briouste in 1994, following an international competition launched by the city of Paris. Since 2001, it has hosted the Chaillot-Grandes Organs festival every two years.

The site is also linked to important events, such as the funeral of Guy de Maupassant (1893), Marcel Proust (1922), or Ettore Bugatti (1947). A restoration of Mauméjean's stained glass windows is planned from the end of 2025, highlighting the continuous maintenance of this major architectural and artistic heritage.

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