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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-du-Calvaire de Châtillon, located on Boulevard de Vanves, is one of the two churches in the commune. Built between 1932 and 1934 under the aegis of the Cardinal's Buildings (founded in 1931 by Cardinal Verdier), it embodies the effort of religious reconstruction in the Paris region. His neo-Byzantine architecture, marked by three domes and a red brick façade of Bagneux, earned him the nickname of "red church". It has been listed as historical monuments since 2004, excluding its soil.

The design of the building is attributed to architects Joseph Flandrin (died 1934) and Yves-Marie Froidevaux, while his interior decoration, made between 1935 and 1962, was directed by Yvonne Diéterle Laurens, widow of Jean-Pierre Laurens. The latter, initially in charge of frescoes, realized only the sketches before his death in 1932. His students — Georges Cheyssial, Gabriel Genieis, Pierre Guyenot, Jean-Henri Couturat — performed a monumental set of frescoes inspired by the Scriptures, organized into three domes dedicated to the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Interior iconography mixes biblical scenes with the life of the saints, with special attention for Saint Joan of Arc, in tribute to the friendship between Laurens and Charles Péguy. The bas-reliefs of the facade, works by Marius Petit, Paul Flandrin, Madeleine Coldevaux and Paul-François Niclausse, represent theological and cardinal virtues. A stone pieta dominates the entrance, symbolizing Our Lady of Pains.

The lateral chapel, sober and far away, houses a triptych reproduced by Gabriel Genieis after the works of Laurens (1929): the Annunciation, the Virgin at the foot of the Cross and the Adoration of the Shepherds. The choir, decorated with a fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin, is inspired by Enguerrand Quarton and a unit of earthly and heavenly liturgy. The church, owned by the diocesan association, remains an active place of worship and a major artistic testimony of the inter-war period.

The materials — red bricks, reinforced cement — and the neo-Byzantine style reflect the architectural innovations of the 1930s, while the frescoes, by their magnitude and symbolism, illustrate the revival of sacred art under the impulse of Cardinal Verdier. The building combines technical modernity and spiritual tradition, serving both the local community and the Franciscan religious heritage.

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