Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus de Boulogne-Billancourt came into being in 1910, when Canon Gérard, parish priest of Notre-Dame de Boulogne, entrusted Father Lieubray, oratorian vicar, with the task of creating an annex chapel in the working-class district of La Plaine. This neighborhood, which is growing in population thanks to automobile factories and industrial laundry, lacked places of worship. A first temporary chapel, dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Avila, was built in 1911 by architect Paul Legrie, financed by the work of the relief chapels. She accompanied social works (management, family support) in a spirit of social Catholicism. The chapel, later transformed into a school, disappeared in the early 2000s.

After the beatification of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in 1923, Cardinal Dubois validated the construction of a parish church dedicated to the future saint. A contest was launched in 1925, won by architect Charles Bourdery, but the works, begun in 1926, were interrupted due to lack of funds after the crypt was completed (benny in 1928). The parish was officially erected in 1927, covering a territory bounded by Boulogne wharf and Victor-Hugo Avenue. The temporary chapel became a parish under the name of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

In 1938, thanks to the Cardinal's Buildings and Cardinal Verdier, work resumed according to simplified plans, led by Charles Bourdery and Henri Vidal after 1939. The great work was completed at the declaration of war, and the cross of the bell tower blessed on August 28, 1939. The church, damaged by bombings in 1942 and 1943, was decorated until 1945. His three bells, buried for 42 months to escape the requisition, were blessed in 1946. Father Maurice Brasdu, parish priest during the war, was recognized Just among the nations in 1976 for his role in protecting the persecuted.

The present church, of sober and modern style, mixes reinforced concrete, stone and brick. Its interior decoration, marked by sacred art of the 1930s-1940s, includes polychrome sculptures by Jean Lambert-Rucki (road of the cross, crypt), stained glass windows by Auguste Labouret and André Pierre, and works by sculptors like René Iché or Lucienne Heuvelmans. The crypt, vaulted and decorated with historic capitals, illustrates biblical and hagiographic scenes. The building received the 20th Century Heritage and Heritage labels of regional interest for its artistic and historical value.

In 1911 Father Lieubray developed an ambitious social programme for the working population of the neighbourhood, often foreign (including a Chinese Catholic community). A patronage, a dispensary, a nursery, and professional courses (couture, accounting, industrial design) were created. In 1914, a school of boys (Saint-Philippe) and a school of girls (Thérèse-Martin) opened, grouped in 1970 under the name of Saint-François-d-Assise. In 1963, a home for young workers was opened, now transformed into a residence for young adults with disabilities.

The Oratorians, present since the beginning, left the parish in 2010 after almost a century of pastoral animation. The church remains a testimony to the social commitment of the clergy in the 20th century and to the fusion of modern sacred art and mission with the popular classes.

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