Saint-Léonard, Catholic church in L'Haÿ-les-Roses, France

Saint-Léonard, on rue Jean-Jaurès in L'Haÿ-les-Roses, is built of pale beige stone with a central gabled facade and a square tower on the right, topped by a dark slate spire with a small belfry. The tower carries a round clock with Roman numerals, and the entrance is a red double door under a pointed arch. Above it, a curved panel reads "Léonard" in gold letters.

A building stood here as early as the 13th century, possibly the 9th. According to Abbé Lebeuf, it was rebuilt in the first quarter of the 16th century and consecrated in 1523 by Paris bishop François Poncher; only the nave walls, the north aisle and small grisailles survive from that campaign. A chapel was added in 1635, and in 1837 architect Jean Billaud built the present bell tower to replace a spire threatening ruin. The church was badly hit in the war of 1870.

The 1972 stained glass is the work of master glassmaker Job Guevel and his daughter Marie-Jo. Above the altar hangs a 19th-century fresco by the Polish painter Victor Casimir Zier, restored in 2012, showing Saint Leonard, patron of prisoners, with arms raised to the sky between four angels.

The church stands on rue Jean-Jaurès in L'Haÿ-les-Roses, in the Val-de-Marne. The 2012 rehabilitation consolidated the roof, bell tower and porch. The entrance is a red double door under a pointed arch; a small rectangular sign stands at the lower left of the facade.

The 1972 enlargement by architect Jacques Bahon replaced the choir and transept with a reinforced concrete hall and exposed timber roof. The 2012 restoration, costing €500,000, consolidated the roof, bell tower and porch, and cleaned a 19th-century fresco by Polish artist Victor Casimir Zier above the altar.