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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Île de France
  4. Yvelines
  5. 78410 Aubergenville

  6. Church of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus of Elizabethville

 Church of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus of Elizabethville à Aubergenville dans les Yvelines

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Eglise moderne
Yvelines

Church of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus of Elizabethville

    Place de Louvain
    78410 Aubergenville
Photo de Church of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus of Elizabethville

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1921
Start of work on Elizabethville
18 septembre 1927
Laying the first stone
1er juillet 1928
Church Consecration
1930-1933
Achievements of wall paintings
1965
Post-Vatican II Changes
27 mai 1977
Registration for Historic Monuments
1983
Purchase by the municipality
1997
Decommissioning
2016
Restoration report
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The church Sainte-Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus d'Elisabethville and its parcel, in its entirety, all located Place de Louvain, on Parcel No. 159, appearing in the cadastre section AK, as coloured in red on the plan annexed to the decree. The entire classification of the building includes the following elements: the two bust-liquaries, St. Thérèse of Lisieux listening to her faithful and St. Elisabeth of Hungary, located at the junction of the main ship and the choir, Christ on the Cross, by Carlos Sarrabezolles, located in the nave, the Baptistery, located in the chapel of the baptismal backgrounds, the eight pedestals, located in the collaterals, the two confessionals: by order of 5 May 2025

Key figures

Paul Tournon - Architect Manufacturer of the concrete church.
Carlo Sarrabezolles - Sculptor Author of concrete sculptures.
Raymond Subes - Iron and steel Creator of the gate grid.
Marguerite Huré - Glass painter Author of the original stained glass windows.
Élisabeth Tournon-Branly - Painter Frescoes of the Baptistery.
Edmond Ramoisy - Sponsor President of *Belgium planning*.
Abbé Albert Mancel - Project Initiator Priest of Aubergenville.

Origin and history

The Church of the Child Jesus of Elizabethville, located in Aubergenville (Yvelines), is a Catholic religious building built between 1927 and 1928. It was one of the first reinforced concrete churches in France, entirely carved in this material. Sponsored by Edmond Ramoisy, President of forward-looking Belgium, it symbolizes Franco-Belgian friendship and is dedicated to Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. The architect Paul Tournon designed the structure, while Carlo Sarrabezolles made the fresh concrete sculptures of the facade in just six weeks.

The construction was financed by private Franco-Belgian funds, launched by Abbé Albert Mancel, who stressed that "a city without a church is a soulless body". The first stone was laid on 18 September 1927, and the church was consecrated on 1 July 1928 by the bishop of Versailles. Between 1930 and 1933, the murals of the choir, the Baptistery and the chapel of the dead were painted by Madame Chanteaud-Chabas and Elizabeth Tournon-Branly, wife of the architect.

The church was modified in 1965 after the Second Vatican Council, losing its altar and concrete pulpit, while the statue of Saint Thérèse was moved. Disused in 1997, it became a municipal cultural building. Ranked a historic monument in 1977, it was restored in 1986-1987, then in 1998 for its 70 years, with the addition of stained glass windows by Bruno de Pirey. Today, its state requires a new global restoration, including structure, sculptures, frescoes and stained glass windows.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its unique nave of 20 meters high, surmounted by an arrow of 45 meters, and its facades largely glazed, evoking the Holy Chapel. The western facade, carved by Sarrabezolles, represents religious figures and Franco-Belgian symbols, such as Cardinal Mercier or Saint Jeanne d'Arc. Inside, the stained glass windows of Marguerite Huré, the colourful frescoes of the choir and the concrete sculptures, including a crucified Christ, testify to a mixture of contemporary art and Gothic inspiration.

The building is also present in the arts: it appears on a stained glass window of the Paris-Saint-Lazare station, created by Charles Sarteur between 1928 and 1930. After its decommissioning, the church hosted an organ in 1999 and today serves as a cultural place. Its history reflects the religious, artistic and social evolutions of the 20th century in Île-de-France.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum