Sainte-Geneviève-des-Ardents, Paris
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Ardents (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t ʒən(ə)vjɛv de.z‿aʁdɑ̃]), known as Sainte-Geneviève-la-Petite in the Middle Ages, was a church located at present-day Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul-II in the Île de la Cité in Paris, France. It is dedicated to Saint Genevieve, the miracles imputed to whom included "the cessation of a horrible plague, called the mal ardent, which desolated Paris in the reign of Louis le Gros".[1]
History
A Sainte-Geneviève chapel, under the authority of the abbey of the same name, was attested in the 9th century. It was mentioned as a proper parish from 1128, which makes it the oldest attested parish of La Cité quarter.[2]
The church was re-built in the 15th, in part thanks to the donations of bookseller Nicolas Flamel. Flamel was represented in a niche next to the portal.[3] Theologian and casuist Jean Pontas became the vicar of the church in 1666.[4]
The Sainte-Geneviève and Saint-Christophe parishes, both situated at present-day Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul-II, were suppressed in 1747 and merged with the parish of Sainte-Madeleine. The church of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Ardents was destroyed in January 1747 to enable the extension works of the Hôpital des Enfants-Trouvés.[2] The walls of the church were excavated when the archaeological crypt was built. Now, the outline of the former building is shown by a lighter tiling on Parvis Notre-Dame.[5]
References
- Jameson (Anna), Mrs (1848). Sacred and Legendary Art. Vol. 2. p. 402.
- "Paroisse Sainte-Geneviève-du-Miracle-des-Ardents. Paris". data.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- Wilkins, Nigel E. (1993). Nicolas Flamel : des livres et de l'or (in French). Imago. p. 46. ISBN 2902702779. OCLC 29848132. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- Lécuy (1863). "Jean Pontas". Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne: ou histoire, par ordre alphabétique, de la vie publique et privée de tous les hommes qui se sont fait remarquer par leurs écrits, leurs talents, leurs vertus ou leurs crimes. Pom – Quo (in French). Desplaces. p. 73. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- Combeau, Yves (December 23, 2012). "L'Histoire de Notre-Dame de Paris : 850 ans... et toujours aussi belle !" (Podcast) (in French). Canal Académie. Retrieved October 10, 2019.