111 Paris 3ème arrondissement Saint Denis of the Holy Sacrament, with illustrations by Delacroix
111 Paris 3ème arrondissement Saint-Denys-du-Saint-Sacrement
So, Saint Denis of the Holy Sacrament. Star attraction of this church, which is just down the road from the Picasso museum, is a stunning painting of Jesus being taken down from the cross, surrounded by people getting worked up about it. This was produced by Eugène Delacroix, best-known for his 1830 painting of Liberty leading the people to insurrection. The neoclassical church was completed in the 1830s (neoclassical - that is to say, like a Roman temple but with fewer gods). Above the gate you have sculptures of the four cardinal virtues – prudence, temperance, strength and justice,which help us avoid the seven deadly sins. You also have a painting inside of them blokes who were on their way to Emmaus when Jesus, recently deceased, turns up in disguise.
The Stations of the Cross
are very original, in a sort of enamel, and of unusual shapings, and there is a
grand baptismal font.
The church is named after the early martyr bishop of Paris and also after the order of nuns who did 24/7 worship of the most holy sacrament, from 1651 on.
