Church of St Odile, Byzantine Revival church in 17th arrondissement, France
The Church of St Odile is a church building located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, constructed from reinforced concrete. It rises 72 meters tall and features characteristic rounded arches along with mosaic decorations that enhance its interior.
Edmond Loutil, parish priest of Saint-François-de-Sales and columnist at La Croix under the pen name Pierre l'Ermite, funded the church with parishioners, so Cardinal Verdier counted it as a chantier "in partibus" of his Œuvre, number 108. The first pickaxe blow was struck on 24 March 1935; the church was blessed on 17 November 1946 by Cardinal Suhard, and the parish was created on 19 April 1953. It was dedicated on 18 November 1956 by Jean-Julien Weber, Bishop of Strasbourg, and listed as a monument historique on 14 May 2001.
Edmond Loutil dedicated the church to Saint Odile, patron saint of Alsace, his mother's homeland. The parish also celebrates Mass in the Tridentine rite in Latin on Sundays at 9:30 and 18:00, alongside ordinary Roman-rite services. In the second of François Décorchemont's three windows, the cardinal Verdier and Loutil himself appear at the lower right.
The church is located in northern Paris and is easily accessible by public transportation, with several metro and bus stops nearby. Visitors should be aware of regular worship services, as these may affect access to the building during those times.
The decagonal bell tower, 72 metres high, holds a carillon of twenty-three bells plus three swinging bells, all cast by the Paccard foundry just before the 1939 declaration of war. During the German occupation the bells were buried near Chartres. It is the only hand-played carillon in Paris, heard on religious feast days and some Sundays.
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