Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Neuilly-sur-Seine, Catholic church in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
The église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Neuilly-sur-Seine is a neo-classical church of light tan stone at 156 avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, its facade rising to a triangular Greek-style pediment with a round clock and a cross. Stone steps lead to tall green double doors inscribed "PAROISSE SAINT JEAN BAPTISTE", flanked by green side doors beneath arched gridded windows. The nave ceiling and the dome over the crossing were rebuilt in 1869 by communal architect Charles Jules Simonet.
A chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built on this site around 1540 by the Champagne gentleman Jean-Baptiste de Chantemerle. It was replaced by a church opened for worship in 1779, which hosted the first municipal council meeting in 1790. Demolished in 1827, it was rebuilt by Jacques Molinos and finished in 1828-1831 by his son Auguste Isidore Molinos; defects led to rework in 1844-1846.
The parish is named after John the Baptist, to whom the 1540 chapel on this site was already dedicated. The high altar incorporates late-17th-century elements from an earlier altarpiece, and its painting, flanked by two angel statues, shows the Crucifixion; paintings from the Ancien Régime are classified as monuments historiques. The adjoining Chapel of the Annunciation houses the Orthodox parish of Saint-Matthieu.
The church stands at 156 avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, within the Diocese of Nanterre. The esplanade in front of the facade is being reworked in 2025-2026, so the approach on foot may change during that period. The parish also administers the church of Bienheureuse-Isabelle near place de Bagatelle, and the adjoining chapel of the Annunciation houses the Orthodox parish of Saint-Matthieu.
The 15th-century baptismal fonts came from the former Saint-Martin church of Villiers-la-Garenne, sold off and demolished in 1795. The church also keeps a 17th-century portrait of the Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist, after a drawing attributed to Raphael, listed as a historic monument.
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