Chapel of the Convent of Saint Francis, Paris
Chapel of the Convent of Saint Francis, Paris
The Chapel of the Convent of Saint Francis is a Roman Catholic chapel inside the Franciscan convent at 7 Rue Marie-Rose in Paris’s 14th arrondissement (nearest Metro: Alesia). It serves the Franciscan clerical students and was consecrated in 1936. The chapel is especially noted for its stained glass.
History in brief:
- The Franciscan order started with Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209.
- Paris opened its first convent in 1219 near the Basilica of Saint-Denis, then the Convent of the Cordeliers near Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 1230.
- After the French Revolution, the Franciscans were suppressed and their buildings were destroyed to make space for a medical school.
- They returned to Paris in 1865, were expelled again in 1880, and then quietly returned after the 1905 separation of church and state, becoming public again in 1919.
The present convent was built starting in 1934, designed by Paul Gelis and Jean Hulot. It is red brick with little external ornament. The chapel is also brick, with rose-colored stone from Burgundy and Préty. The nave has side chapels on the south side. Pointed brick arches separate the sections of the nave, and a triumphal arch divides the choir from the nave. The choir is softly lit by three stained-glass windows representing the three orders founded by Saint Francis.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:51 (CET).