Oratoire du Louvre
Temple protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre
Front of the church from rue Saint-Honoré
Oratoire du Louvre The location of l'Oratoire within Paris
48°51′42.7″N 2°20′25.1″E / 48.861861°N 2.340306°E / 48.861861; 2.340306
Location	Paris
Country	France
Denomination	United Protestant Church of France
Previous denomination	Reformed Church of France
Churchmanship	Liberal[1]
Website	oratoiredulouvre.fr
History
Former name(s)	La congrégation de l'Oratoire de Jésus
Authorising papal bull	1613
Status	Parish church
Founded	November 1611
Founder(s)	Pierre de Bérulle
Consecrated	July 12, 1750
Events	Made royal chapel of the Louvre Palace by Louis XIII (1623); suppressed during the French Revolution (1792); Protestant church (1811)
Associated people	Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, Anne of Austria, Paul-Henri Marron
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Monument Historique PA00085789[2]
Designated	1907
Architect(s)	Jacques Lemercier, Clément Métezeau, Pierre Caqué
Architectural type	Christian Church
Style	Baroque
Years built	1621–1625, 1740–1745
Groundbreaking	September 22, 1621
Completed	1745
Administration
Synod	Synode régional d'Île-de-France
Clergy
Pastor(s)	Agnès Adeline-Schaeffer Béatrice Cléro-Mazire

The Temple protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre, also Église réformée de l'Oratoire du Louvre, is a historic Protestant church located at 145 rue Saint-Honoré – 160 rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, across the street from the Louvre.

History

It was founded in 1611 by Pierre de Bérulle as the French branch of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. It was made the royal chapel of the Louvre Palace by Louis XIII on December 23, 1623, and was host to the funerals of both Louis and Cardinal Richelieu. Work on the church was suspended in 1625 and not resumed until 1740, with the church completed in 1745.

It was suppressed in 1792 during the French Revolution, looted, stripped of its decor, and used to store theater sets. In 1811, it was given by Napoleon to the Protestant congregation of Saint-Louis-du-Louvre when that building was demolished to make way for the expansion of the Louvre.^[3] A statue and monument of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the great Huguenot leader of the 16th century, was built on the rue de Rivoli end of the church in 1889. It continues as one of the most prominent Reformed congregations in Paris, noted for its liberal theology.^[4] The closest métro station is Louvre – Rivoli.

Prominent pastors

Gallery

• Interior
• 
  The pulpit and choir
• 
  The nave and organ
• 
  Memorial to church members killed in World War I
• 
  The upper room, onetime home to the American Church in Paris and later The Scots Kirk, Paris
• 
  Decoration that survived the French Revolution

• Exterior
• 
  The facade before restoration work, from rue Saint-Honoré
• 
  View of the church from Rue de Rivoli
• 
  Statue of Gaspard de Coligny

References

Sources

Braunstein, Philippe (2011). L'Oratoire du Louvre et les protestants parisiens. Paris: Labor et Fides. ISBN 978-2830914320.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Temple protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre (Paris).

• Official website (in French)