A late 19th century temple, a luminous edifice
in the centre of Verdun
in the centre of Verdun
Verdun,
MEUSE
lorraine
55100
FR
Location
25 km from Verdun TGV train station with 59 minute links to the French capital via the Gare-de-l'Est. The town is also near to the A4 motorway which takes 30 minutes to reach Metz-Nancy-Lorraine international airport (60 km away) as well as that of Luxembourg, just 80 km away.
Verdun is the most populated town in the French department of Meuse, in the Lorraine region, with 20,255 inhabitants and 500,000 visitors per year. Although the town, whose name sums up the First World War, was named the World Capital of Peace, Freedom and Human Rights by the UNO in 1987, tourists do not limit themselves to this duty of remembrance if the marina, which is always busy during clement weather, is anything to go by.
Description
The Treaty of Verdun, signed in 843 as a result of quarrels between Charlemagne’s heirs, established the first division of Medieval Europe. A thousand years later, it was in this very same place that a deadly conflict between the two main peoples resulting from said division, the Germans and the Franks, took place.
Today, the town symbolises this mutual massacre, but some of its traditions are much happier ones. Such as that of sugared almonds, invented by one of the town’s apothecaries who, at the beginning of the 13th century, had the idea of coating almonds in sugar and honey as a means of preserving and transporting them. Such delicacies are meant to ward off sterility which is why sugared almonds are always given for every French family occasion: weddings, christenings and communions. In the 16th century, the Dukes of Lorraine, comfit-box at their waist, distributed these sweets at the French Court and then throughout the kingdom.
Most of the streets in the centre of Verdun are pedestrian streets. They are full of numerous small, original cafes and other starred restaurants, where visitors can experience the particularly rich and inventive Lorraine gastronomy.
Today, the town symbolises this mutual massacre, but some of its traditions are much happier ones. Such as that of sugared almonds, invented by one of the town’s apothecaries who, at the beginning of the 13th century, had the idea of coating almonds in sugar and honey as a means of preserving and transporting them. Such delicacies are meant to ward off sterility which is why sugared almonds are always given for every French family occasion: weddings, christenings and communions. In the 16th century, the Dukes of Lorraine, comfit-box at their waist, distributed these sweets at the French Court and then throughout the kingdom.
Most of the streets in the centre of Verdun are pedestrian streets. They are full of numerous small, original cafes and other starred restaurants, where visitors can experience the particularly rich and inventive Lorraine gastronomy.
The temple
Présentation détaillée Le temple
Sa construction, confiée à l'architecte Chenevier, fut achevée en 1889. Le 21 février 1916, au deuxième jour de l'offensive allemande, l'édifice fut touché par un bombardement qui fit voler en éclats ses portes et ses vitraux. La bible, qui restait toujours ouverte sur la table de communion, fut trouée par un éclat d'obus.
Le temple fut restauré en 1920.
Sa façade, ouverte sur la rue, est d'une sobriété toute protestante. Elle est construite en pierre de taille dans un style plus ou moins néo-roman.
Un grand arc en plein cintre y surmonte une grande rosace à six lobes. Ses claveaux sont marqués par un cercle lui-même couronné par un fronton triangulaire soutenu par deux colonnes composites.
Menuiserie de porte à cadre et panneau en bois peint surmontée d'une imposte avec vitraux.
De part et d'autre, décor en diagonal taillé dans un enduit.
Une sculpture représentant l'Evangile marqué de l'alpha et l'oméga symbolise l'éternité du Christ.
Belle descente d'eau pluviale en fonte.
La porte d'entrée donne sur un sas à panneaux amovibles et sol en mosaïque.
La majeure partie de l'espace est représentée par la nef qui mesure environ 70 m². Elle possède une grande verrière zénithale ainsi que des vitraux apportant une lumière toute particulière et changeante au fil de la journée. Le lieu est silencieux et apaisant.
Les murs sont ornés de colonnes ouvragées et de boiseries. Au sol, un plancher de chêne à bâtons rompus.
Au fond sur la gauche, une porte conduit aux caves voûtées qui occupent environ 60 m².
L'ensemble de la toiture de zinc est en bon état. The temple
Its construction, entrusted to architect Chenevier, was completed in 1889. On 21 February 1916, the second day of
the German offensive, the edifice was hit by bombing that caused its doors and stained glass windows to shatter. A hole was made in the bible, left open on the communion table, by a piece of shrapnel.
The temple was restored in 1920.
Its facade with its protestant sobriety overlooks the street. It is built of dressed stone in a more or less neo-Romanesque style.
A large semi-circular arch tops a large, six-lobed rose window. Its arch stones are marked by a circle and the arch is crowned by a triangular pediment supported by two composite columns.
The wooden framed door has painted wood panels topped with a fanlight featuring stained glass windows.
On either side, a diagonal decor is carved in a rendering.
A sculpture representing the Gospel marked with alpha and omega symbolises Christ’s eternity.
Superb cast iron rainwater downpipes.
The entrance door opens into a lobby with removable panels and a mosaic floor.
Most of the space is taken up by the nave which spans approx. 70 m². Its large atrium roof and its stained glass windows provide a very special light that changes throughout the day. The silence inside is soothing.
The walls are adorned with wrought columns and wainscoting. The floor is covered with oak wood, herring bone pattern flooring.
A door at the end, on the left-hand side, leads to vaulted cellars that span approx. 60 m².
The entire zinc roof is in a good state of repair.
The ground floor
The first floor
The second floor
The cellar
Our opinion
The spirit of this property predominantly comes from its special luminosity which lights up the nave and makes the rich features of the interior area shimmer in an immaculate silence. The minute variations of the Lorraine sky are reflected in sudden changes of ambiance, hence the instinctive respect inspired by this edifice where visitors’ spirits are turned upside down. Its disarming simplicity is also a petition for a revival, even if it is guided by desires for earthly pleasures. Exhibition gallery, restaurant or boutique, this property could also be turned into a dwelling if mezzanine floors are used to divide up its ample volume.
Reference 547427
| Land registry surface area | 70 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 120 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 2 |
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
