Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Gloriette, Jesuit church in the old centre of Caen, France

Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Gloriette is a baroque church featuring a basilica layout with a nave flanked by side aisles and a projecting transept. Inside, a white marble altar sits beneath a canopy, serving as the focal point of the interior space.

The Jesuits laid the foundation stone in 1684 on land bought from the city in 1667, and the church was consecrated on 31 July 1689 as Sainte-Catherine-des-Arts. After the Jesuits' expulsion in 1762 it passed to the University of Caen, served revolutionary festivals from 1793, and was returned to Catholic worship in 1802 as Notre-Dame.

Since 1987 the diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux has lent the church to the Maîtrise de Caen, which gives 20 auditions there each year at Saturday midday and performs concerts as part of the Théâtre de Caen programme. The building was consecrated in 1689 as Sainte-Catherine-des-Arts, a name recalling the Jesuits' teaching of the arts, including theatre.

The church sits in the central part of Caen and is easy to locate from the surrounding square. Before visiting, it is worth checking locally for any access restrictions or special events that might affect your tour.

The high altar of white marble came from the Abbaye aux Dames, placed here after the monastery closed in 1790. The facade leans slightly to the right because the church was built on marshy ground beside the Petit Odon, covered over in the 1930s. The side doors and the round windows above them were pierced in 1846-1847.