French Churches and Chapelles Adorned by Modern Masters from Matisse to Soulages
Across France, numerous churches and chapels display remarkable 20th-century artwork. The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques features 104 translucent stained-glass windows crafted by Pierre Soulages between 1987 and 1994. In Vence, the Chapelle du Rosaire, a collaboration between Henri Matisse and architect Auguste Perret, was completed from 1949 to 1951. Vallauris unveiled Pablo Picasso's fresco 'La Guerre et la Paix' in 1959, the same year Jean Cocteau contributed stained glass to Chapelle Saint-Blaise des Simples. Notable works by Georges Rouault and Pierre Bonnard can be found in the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce in Passy. Léonard Foujita decorated Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix in Reims in 1965, while Marc Chagall's stained-glass windows for Chapelle du Saillant were created from 1978 to 1982. James Tissot's Christ Pantocrator was inaugurated in 1897, and Jean-Michel Folon completed the decoration of Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs in 2008. Tadao Andō designed a chapel at Château La Coste in 2011.
Key facts
- Pierre Soulages created 104 stained-glass windows for Conques' Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy from 1987 to 1994.
- Henri Matisse designed windows and liturgical items for the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, built 1949-1951 by Auguste Perret.
- Pablo Picasso's fresco 'La Guerre et la Paix' was inaugurated in 1959 in Vallauris after work began in 1952.
- The Church of Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce in Passy features works by multiple artists including Léger, Matisse, and Chagall.
- Jean Cocteau decorated the Chapelle Saint-Blaise des Simples in 1959 and was buried there in 1963.
- Léonard Foujita built and decorated the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix in Reims in 1965, where he is buried.
- Marc Chagall made six stained-glass windows for Voutezac's Chapelle du Saillant between 1978 and 1982.
- James Tissot's Christ Pantocrator was inaugurated in 1897 at the Paris Convent of the Annunciation.
Entities
Artists
- Henri Matisse
- Pierre Soulages
- Marc Chagall
- James Tissot
- Léonard Foujita
- Pablo Picasso
- Jean Cocteau
- Fernand Léger
- Georges Rouault
- Pierre Bonnard
- Jean Lurçat
- Germaine Richier
- Georges Braque
- Jean-Michel Folon
- Tadao Andō
- Jean-Michel Othoniel
- Maurice Novarina
- Auguste Perret
- Guy de Lasteyrie du Saillant
- Jean Devémy
Institutions
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Abbatiale Sainte‑Foy de Conques
- Musée National Pablo Picasso
- Chapelle Saint-Blaise des Simples
- Église Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce
- Chapelle du Rosaire
- Château La Coste
- Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix
- Chapelle du Saillant
- Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs
- Couvent dominicain de l'Annonciation
- UNESCO
Locations
- France
- Conques
- Aveyron
- Vence
- Vallauris
- Passy
- Haute-Savoie
- Milly-la-Forêt
- Reims
- Voutezac
- Corrèze
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- Paris
- Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade
- Provence
- Japan
- Palestine
- Jerusalem
- Nantes
- Sarrebourg
- Metz
- Switzerland