Description of the attraction
The Church of Notre Dame du Travay (Our Lady of Labor) is a unique church with a unique name.
In 1884, a new priest, Father Jean-Baptiste Roger Solange-Bodin, twenty-three years old, appeared in the Plaisance district, on the working-class outskirts of Paris. Strong, cheerful, with a quick reaction of an athlete, Solange-Bodin was not afraid of ridicule and attacks of the anti-clerical people. The workers accepted and fell in love with the priest - he had the gift of speaking the same language with them. He helped the disadvantaged, fought for social justice and tirelessly carried the word of God.
Thirty-five thousand workers with families lived in the area - the industry of Paris developed rapidly. The old small church of Notre-Dame-de-Plaisance was in short supply, a new one was needed, and Father Solange-Bodine came up with which one. Why don't working people go to a church built with the materials they deal with every day, a church in their honor and spiritually close to them? He began a national subscription to finance the construction. Money began to come from everywhere.
The architect Jules Astruc was imbued with the idea. A student of Victor Laloux, who built the d'Orsay station, he understood how important the connection between architecture and engineering is. In 1902 the new church was completed. Outside, it is a typical large Romanesque temple. On the bell tower there is a bell donated by Napoleon III to the still old church (a trophy obtained during the siege of Sevastopol). Inside, the person who entered is struck by steel columns and arches in a huge space - as if in a workshop. Astruc was not the first to use metal for the structure of the temple, but he has steel parts that play a major role in the design. 135 tons of riveted structures seem delicate and light.
Despite the industrial style, the church does not look cold. It is richly decorated with frescoes, sculptures and stained glass windows in the Art Nouveau style. The organ, made in the same style, seems to flourish among stone and metal. On the pedestal of the statue of the Mother of God with the Little Jesus, one can see a workbench, a cart, an anvil, a hammer and other tools. The fresco "Saint Joseph - Patron of Carpenters and Joiners" depicts a teenage Jesus helping his father in his work. The entire interior of the church emphasizes respect and love for the working man.
Now Notre-Dame-du-Gravay is a working church with a vibrant parish life. Nearby there is a small street named after the Christian ascetic - the street of Abbot Solange-Bodin.
