Créteil Cathedral, Modern Catholic cathedral in Créteil, France

Créteil Cathedral, or Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Créteil, is a Catholic cathedral in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, between the Montaigut district and Université Paris XII. Its dark metal lattice dome, shaped like two hands joined in prayer, has a vertical blue glazed band on the right; a white entrance canopy bears the name in gold letters, and a 44-metre bell tower stands on the parvis.

The diocese of Créteil was created in 1966, and until 1976 the church of Saint-Louis and Saint-Nicolas at Choisy-le-Roi served as its interim cathedral. A parish church opened on the site on 18 June 1976 and became the cathedral in 1987. The Projet Créteil Cathédrale+ was announced on 19 and 20 June 2010; the building was demolished in 2013 and the new cathedral consecrated on 20 September 2015.

The cathedral is dedicated to Notre-Dame, not to a saint of travellers. Its consecration took place on 20 September 2015, presided over by Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, sent by Pope Francis, in the presence of Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. Twelve consecration crosses by artist Catherine Mogenet were blessed during the 2002 dedication, and sculptor Vincent Guiro made a new altar.

The cathedral stands between the Montaigut district and the Université Paris XII Val-de-Marne, with its bell tower on the parvis. The building opened to visitors in 2015 after works that began with the 2013 demolition of the previous church. Look for the gold lettering on the white entrance canopy before going in.

The roughly 130 wooden arches inside are made from glued spruce planks and arranged so that light casts constantly shifting shadows across the floor throughout the day. This wooden framework was built without supporting columns, which means every seat in the building has an unobstructed view of the altar.