Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Encyclopedia
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region of France. The closest Metro station is 'Bourse
Bourse (Paris Metro)
Bourse is a station on Paris Métro Line 3. It opened on 19 October 1904 as part of the first section of the line opened between Père Lachaise and Villiers...
'.
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History
In 1619 the Discalced Augustinians (colloquially referred to as the "Petits Pères") established their convent, Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, on three hectares of land they had purchased the Bourse (Market) located at the intersection of the Place des Petits-Pères and Rue de la Banque.On December 8, 1629 the foundations were blessed by Archbishop Jean-François Gondi. The next day, King Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
himself laid the cornerstone in the presence of the Court's 'seigneurs' and the city's officials.
The construction was funded by King Louis XIII on the condition that it be dedicated to his victory of King Louis XIII over the Protestants at La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
which he attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
The first church being too small, reconstruction commenced in 1656 according to the plans of Pierre Le Muet. Libéral Bruant, Robert Boudin, and Gabriel Leduc oversaw this work. The new church, not yet completed, was consecrated in 1666.
Work was finalized in 1737 under the supervision of Sylvain Cartaud. He oversaw the expansion of the nave, the construction of the façade as well as the construction of the transept's striking spherical roof.
The sanctuary is graced by several paintings by the French painter Louis-Michel van Loo
Louis-Michel van Loo
Louis-Michel van Loo was a French painter.He studied under his father, the painter Jean-Baptiste van Loo, at Turin and Rome, and he won a prize at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris in 1725...
(1707–1771).
The church was converted into the home of the national lottery and a stock exchange during the Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
, but was returned to the practice of worship under the First Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
.
A large garden and a double-cloister existed at the site until the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. At that time, they were confiscated and fell into disuse. The remnants of the monastery were destroyed in 1858 and a police station as well as an office for the mayor of the arrondissement were constructed in their place.
19th century
For much of the middle of the 19th century, Notre Dame des Victoires was the spiritual power-house of Paris. After the Blessed Virgin appeared to the pastor, Fr. Desgenettes in the early 1830s, he consecrated the parish to her, provoking a spontaneous revival of an almost dead parish, and the foundation of the ArchconfraternityArchconfraternity
An archconfraternity is a Roman Catholic confraternity, empowered to aggregate or affiliate other confraternities of the same nature, and to impart to them its indulgences and privileges.-Status and operation:...
of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners.
Many of the famous French Catholics of the period maintained a connection to the Church. These included Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne, Ven. Francis Libermann
Francis Libermann
Francis Mary Paul Libermann was a 19th-century Jewish convert to Catholicism who was a member of the Spiritan order. He is best known for founding the Congregation of the Sacred Heart, which later merged with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost. He is often referred to as "The Second Founder of the...
and the refounders of the Holy Ghost Fathers
Holy Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
and a whole host of Foreign Missions seminarians and priests, including St. Theophane Venard.
Blessed John Henry Newman went there to give thanks for his conversion, which had been the subject of prayer there. Later, the young Therese Martin prayed before the same statue for Our Lady's help in realizing her vocation.
Ex Voto
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is famous for the ex voto offerings left there by the faithful. Over 10,000 devotional plaques, silver and gold hearts, as well as military decorations, have been left at the Basilica. The faithful leave these items at the Basilica in thanksgiving for favors received from the Blessed Mother. The Basilica once served as a stational church along the pilgrimage route to CompostelaSantiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
. As such, many of the ex voto offerings have been left by faithful unable to make the long journey to the Shrine of Compostela itself.