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Origin and history

The church Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles de Bagnolet, founded in 1235 as a dependency of the Parisian church of the same name, became parishioner at the end of the 13th century. Initially under the authority of the Prior of Saint Martin-des-Champs, she saw her three eastern spans and her chapel built in the sixteenth century, marked by the weapons of Henry II and Diane de Poitiers. These elements, as well as the foothills between the spans, bear witness to this Renaissance period, while a statue of Saint Anne from the 15th century is preserved there.

In the 18th century, the church grew with three western spans, a new facade and a bell tower, as well as an organ buffet. The works, initiated in 1722 by the Duchess of Orleans, continued until 1750, the date engraved on the third span. This architectural heritage thus combines late Gothic and classical styles, reflecting the artistic and religious evolutions of past centuries.

In the 20th century, the church, threatened by a clergy wishing to abandon it in the 1970s, was saved by the intervention of communist mayor Jacqueline Chonavel. An ambitious restoration, spanning almost 30 years until 2000, gives the building a new life, including the restoration of stained glass windows in 2003. Ranked a historic monument in 1977, it also houses ten large paintings restored between 2003 and 2013, highlighting its heritage and cultural role.

Located at 92 Sadi-Carnot Street, at the corner of Lenin Street, the church is distinguished by its central vessel flanked by collaterals and a discreet chapel to the southwest. Its history reflects the challenges of preserving the heritage in the face of social and religious changes, while embodying the collective memory of Bagnolet in Seine-Saint-Denis.

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