Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Sceaux, Catholic church in Sceaux, France

The Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Sceaux is a church building with tall stone walls, pointed arch windows, and a bell tower rising above its surroundings. The structure displays the classic architecture of a French parish church with solid proportions and carefully designed details throughout.

A chapel dedicated to Saint Mammès stood here in the 12th century, and in 1203 a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built when Sceaux became a parish. After a fire in 1530, the bell tower and choir were rebuilt and the church was consecrated in 1543. The nave was lengthened in the early 18th century, and the west facade was redesigned in 1838. The church was listed as a monument historique in 1929.

The church keeps the 18th-century altar of Saint Mammès in the right side chapel, with a reliquary made around 1726 for the Duke of Maine after the Langres chapter gave him a relic. The altarpiece, probably painted at the same time, came from the château chapel and was given in the early 19th century by Jean François Lecomte. In 1898–1899 Émile Hirsch depicted the saint in a window at the back of the façade.

The church is easily accessible by public transportation since the Sceaux RER B station sits within a short walk from the building. Visitors should respect regular visiting hours and be mindful that this is an active place of worship.

The 2014–2021 restoration digs uncovered burials from the 13th–14th and 16th–18th centuries beneath the nave and choir, including the empty vault of the Duke of Maine and his wife. The choir floor was beaten earth, covered with plaster on a stone base around 1400.