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Origin and history

The church of Saint Vincent de Paul, located in Franz-Liszt Square in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, is built on the site of the old Saint Lazare enclosure, where Saint Vincent de Paul lived and worked from 1632 to 1793 with the Congregation of the Mission. This place, marked by its religious and charitable heritage, was chosen to honour its memory after the creation of the parish in 1804 by imperial decree. A first wooden chapel, built on Rue de Montholon in 1804, preceded the current building, which had become insufficient in front of the urban expansion of the Faubourg Poissonnière.

The construction of the present church began in 1824 under the direction of architect Jean-Baptiste Lepère, with a first stone laid in the presence of the Prefect of the Seine and the Archbishop of Paris. The work, slowed down by financial difficulties and the Revolution of 1830, was resumed and completed by his son-in-law, Jacques Hittorff, between 1831 and 1844. Hittorff profoundly altered the original project, adding a second bell tower and integrating innovations such as ramps for carriages, while inspired by ancient architecture (ionic columns, carved pediment). The church, opened to worship in 1844, became a manifesto of 19th century decorative techniques: wax painting, ornamental cast iron, and enamelled lava.

The interior decor, completed around 1854, includes a frieze of 160 saints painted by Hippolyte Flandrin, a ceiling carved by Lucien-François Badou, and a calvary by François Rude. The building suffered damage during the Commune of Paris (1871), with impacts on its bell towers and its porch. Ranked a historic monument in 1944 and 2017, the church also houses two remarkable organs, including a large organ of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1852), restored and increased in 1970. Its adjacent square, named after Cavaillé-Coll, and its facade decorated with enamelled lava plates restored in 2011, make it a major heritage site.

The church is also linked to cultural and historical events, such as Boris Vian's marriage in 1941 or his appearance in films such as Zazie in the subway (1960) and Hibernatus (1969). Its architecture, combining neoclassicism and technical innovations, makes it a symbol of the religious and urban renewal of 19th century Paris, while celebrating the legacy of Saint Vincent de Paul, apostle of the poor and founder of the Daughters of Charity.

The church organs, including the great organ of Cavaillé-Coll, were played by illustrious holders such as Louis Braille (inventor of writing for the blind) and Léon Boëllmann. The building, with its square and ramps, forms a coherent architectural ensemble, fully classified in 2017. The enamelled lava plates of the facade, originally removed in 1861 because of scandal (nature of the characters), were restored and resettled in 2011, restoring the original vision of Hittorff.

Finally, the church appears in several literary and cinematographic works, such as Roger Martin du Gard's Les Thibault ( Nobel Prize 1937), where the adjacent square serves as a framework for a romantic scene. Its role in Parisian life, both a place of worship, historical memory and filming, makes it an emblematic monument of the 10th arrondissement, at the crossroads of the religious, social and artistic history of the capital.

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