An Inspiring Tour of France’s More Unusual Churches

France is dotted with lesser-known yet remarkable religious buildings and we head out in quiet reflection to discover some of them.

France is blessed with a huge range of spectacular religious edifices, some of which, including Notre-Dame de Paris, Marseille’s Notre-Dame de la Garde and Chartres, enjoy worldwide renown, while others, such as Brittany’s enclos paroissiaux (parish closes) merit a deep-dive feature all of their own. But there are countless lesser-known, unusual or quirkily characterful églises to seek out in all corners of the country, from urban gems to hidden chapels in tranquil outposts. In no particular (holy) order, here we present 10 curious churches to visit…

1. Cathédrale De La Résurrection

Évry, Essonne (Île-de-France)

A new cathedral for a ‘new town’ in the southern suburbs of Paris, Évry’s contemporary, brick-covered beauty has a cylindrical shape with a diagonally lopped-off upper section topped with trees. Designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, it was built between 1992 and 1995 and is the only French cathedral completed in the 20th century. It can welcome 1,400 worshippers. During a visit on August 22, 1997, Pope John Paul II said: “Brothers and Sisters, you have erected this stunning building. You have created an admirable space for the liturgical assembly of the diocesan Church. I thank the Lord with you and I share your recognition towards your pastors and towards the architects, builders and benefactors who have united efforts to raise such a sign in the heart of the New City of Evry.”

2. Église Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe

Aiguilhe, Haute-Loire (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

Perched 85m high, as if by some miraculous means, at the top of an extinct volcanic chimney just north of Le Puy-en-Velay, this chapel-dedicated to the Archangel Michael, protector of mountaintops and other high places is one of Auvergne’s most fêted buildings. It was built by Godescale, the bishop of Le Puy and the first ever French pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela, in 961, opening up the opening the Via Podiensis sections of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim way. It was included on the first ever list of Monuments Historiques in 1840. Intrepid visitors can climb 268 steps to enjoy the restored 12th-century frescos and sumptuous views.

3. Notre-Dame Du Haut

Ronchamp, Haute-Saône (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté)

Located in the south of the Vosges Regional Park, Swiss-French architect and designer Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (much better known as Le Corbusier) completed this magnificent chapel, with its roof seemingly hovering above the whitewashed main structure, in 1955. The innovator of Modernist architecture built it high on a wooded hill near Belfort, on the site of previous chapels, the latest having been destroyed in the Second World War. As for the design of the chapel, largely in concrete and stone, the Le Corbusier Foundation describes it perfectly: “The general ground plan of the chapel was drawn in a few days: an asymmetrical plan with curved walls surmounted by a roof shaped like a crab shell.” In 1975, the bell tower, designed by Jean Prouvé, was installed alongside the chapel.

4. Église Saint-Rémy De Baccarat

Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle (Grand-Est)

Located opposite the town hall and alongside the Meurthe river in the small town of Baccarat, this secret gem of a church is another example of rebuilding in the modern style after destruction in 1944. Constructed between 1953 and 1957 by architect Nicolas Kazis, a student of the reinforced concrete pioneer Auguste Perret, while the exterior is charming enough, with its 55m steeple, it is inside that its true wonders are revealed, in both aesthetics and statistics; local glassware firm Baccarat provided 20,000 pieces in 52 colours, giving stunning, life-affirming luminosity. Spot, too, the lovely wrought-iron furnishings and two fonts with Baccarat and stained-glass windows on either side of the choir depicting the twelve apostles.

5. Église Saint-Didier d’Asfeld

Asfeld, Ardennes (Grand-Est)

Built at the end of the 17th century on the site of Asfeld’s old village church, this Baroque beauty, imagined in the Italian spirit and hewn from pinky-grey bricks and slates, is most unusual, almost eccentric. The building’s elegant curves, domes and cupolas (there are zero straight walls here) are not only easy on the eye from ground level, but when viewed from above, you see its remarkable outline shape – that of a stringed instrument, the viola da gamba. The church’s creators, Dominican friar François Romain and local architect Fleury, would be thrilled that the musical connection lives on with the biennial International Viola de Gamba Festival, which took place on July 6 and 7 this year.

6. Église Notre-Dame De Vals

This ‘hidden church’ near Pamiers in Ariège which was listed as an historic monument in 1910 is unusual for many reasons. Not only is it semi-rupestral, which means that it was partly built into the rock (in the 10th century), with the original, lowest of its three levels not even visible above ground, but it was only accessible via a steep stairway. Inside, the church is brimming with ancient treasures, including Romanesque frescos from the 12th century, as well as the tomb of Abbé Durand, who documented the frescos in 1952 and carried out key archaeological research around the building. A top tip is to combine a visit with a wander around nearby medieval Mirepoix.

7. Église Notre-Dame-Du-Travail De Paris

Île-de-France

Approaching the classical Romanesque exterior of this church, located at 59 rue Vercingetorix in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, one would not suspect the exceptional interior that awaits. The exposed steel framework of Jules-Godefroy Astruc’s remarkable construction resembles that of a factory. This is a deliberate nod to the largely working-class population who inhabited the Plaisance neighbourhood when it was built between 1897 and 1902. For those who came to worship, it represented a celebration of the dignity of the worker. Astruc took inspiration from both the Eiffel Tower, which was completed in 1889, and his time as a pupil of Victor Laloux, architect of the Gare d’Orsay train station in 1900, using 135 tonnes of metal repurposed from the Palais de l’Industrie, which had been built for the 1855 Universal Exhibition.

8. Église Sainte-Catherine De Honfleur

Calvados, Normandy

The pretty of port Honfleur is known as a painter’s paradise but this unique church, which looks more like a market hall than a place of worship, gives the inquisitive tourist another very good reason to visit Calvados: it is the largest wooden church in France. It was built in the second half of the 15th century (on the site of a stone church which had been destroyed during the Hundred Years War) by the village’s shipbuilders, whousing wood logged form nearby forests – mimicked the shape of an upturned ship’s hull. No saws were used in its creation, only the skill and brawn of local ‘axe masters’. The separate bell tower was erected well away from the nave, to prevent parishioners succumbing to a fire in case of a lightning strike.

9. Bes-Bédène

Campouriez, Aveyron

Perched on a rocky outcrop within a natural cirque in the tranquil wilds of Aubrac, in Aveyron, Bes-Bédène is a Gothic style church built in 1112. It houses fine religious relics, including a 14th-century polychrome wooden statue of St. Gausbert, the holy priest who came to the area seeking solitude and took over the abandoned hermitage, and two altarpieces from the 16th and 18th centuries, plus an exhibition of priestly vestments. The village is also home to a beautiful bridge from 1329. which spans the River Selves and is a great starting point for a hike to survey this idyllic site. The hamlet of Bes-Bédène is classified as a Remarkable Site in France and Europe, with the church’s ‘comb’ bell tower overseeing all.

10. Amiens Cathedral’s Labyrinth

Amiens, Somme

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens – the largest in France-needs little introduction to Francophiles with a penchant for spectacular spiritual destinations. Visit during summer to enjoy the stunning nighttime light show. But beyond the sheer size of the building and High Gothic features, there are riveting details inside to seek out among the most notable being the 19th-century copy of the original (1288) labyrinth measuring 240m in length. Representing life’s twists and turns laid out on the marble floor of the nave, worshippers would carry out allegorical penance for their sins, either on foot or on their knees – a pilgrimage of sorts.

From France Today Magazine