Sainte-Odile, Paris

The three cupolas, which bring a small amount of light to the interior, are constructed of thin reinforced concrete covered with a layer of copper.

The bell tower was designed to be separate from the church building, to prevent the vibration of the bells from harming the church structure. It was constructed to hold twenty-three regular bells, plus three larger bells.[1][4]

The Tympanum, the sculptural bas-relief sculpture over the main portal, is the most striking feature of the facade. It was made by Anne-Marie Roux-Colas (1898-1993). It depicts the Virgin Mary introducing Saint Odile to the Heavenly Father and to Christ. The central scene is surrounded by figures of angel musicians, gathered in nine choirs, who welcome Saint Odile.

Below the tympanum is the portal to the church, decorated with a design of cast iron framing cabochons, or medallions of glass decorated with litanies of the Virgin Mary. The portal decoration is the work of Raymond Subes.

• 
  The sculpture of the tympanum over the portal
• 
  Detail of the portal sculpture; a choir of angels
• 
  A glass cabochon decorating the wrought iron gateway

The Choir is particularly rich in art. The ceramics artist Robert Barriot was in charge of the decoration of the choir. During the fifteen years that the choir was under construction, he and his family lived in the bell tower of the church. Barriot made the major work of the choir, the retable, the screen behind the altar. The retable is 3.17 meters high. It is composed of copper hammered into the forms of Biblical figures and then enamelled. The lower portion depicts "The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse" while the upper portion depicts "The Twenty-Eight Elders surrounding the Heavenly Father."[5]

The altar in the choir was made by the glass craftsman Auguste Labouret (1871-1964), who did not complete it until 1953. Its decoration consists of thick pieces of coloured glass shattered into small pieces with a hammer, then shaped and composed into a sculpture which reflects light. It depicts two orange peacocks, which were a symbol of immortality in Roman catacombs, surrounded by interlaced floral designs of gray and green glass.[6]

Atop the altar is the tabernacle, beneath a sculpture of a lamb by Robert Barriot. Barriot also made the copper sculpture of a lamb at the feet of the Heavenly Father. Above the altar and retable are a group if narrow stained glass windows. grouped around the central window depicting Saint Odile.

• 
  The Choir with retable (Double click to enlarge)
• 
  The altar in the choir (Double click to enlarge)

The Art Deco stained glass is a distinctive feature of the church. It has three hundred square meters of stained glass windows, created between 1935 and 1938 by Francois Decorchemont. [7]

The glass is displayed in the three large windows in the nave. All three windows are crowded with colorful Biblical figures and events. The center windows is devoted to scenes from the life of Saint-Odile (largely based on legend). The left window presents scenes from the life of Saint Raphael, and the right window presents the life of Archangel Saint Michael. These windows feature scenes depicting the Apostles spreading Christianity throughout France, and include a depiction of Saint Joan of Arc praying to Saint Michael.[8]

Decorchement introduced several modern technical innovations in his windows. Instead of separating the pieces of glass with strips of lead, the practice of Gothic glass artists, he used cement. Also, instead of painting scenes on the glass in enamel paints which were then baked onto the glass, the common practice after the late Middle Ages, he used a much more difficult system using "pate de verre", or glass paste, made in different colors. Each piece of glass had its own distinct color. The fine details of the faces and costumes were not painted on, as in traditional stained glass, but colored with a furrow of pate de verre combined with cement.[9]

• 
  The Archangel Saint Michael window (double or triple click for enlargement)
• 
  Saint Michael window on right {double or triple-click to enlarge)
• 
  Left window devoted th Saint Raphael, center window to Saint Odile, right window to Saint Michael (Double or triple-click for enlargement)