Notre-Dame de France

Notre-Dame de France stands in London’s West End, between a cinema and occasional construction, behind a flat brick facade. Inside, its circular plan recalls the panorama venue Charles Faure bought in 1865. Louis Auguste Boileau transformed that cylindrical entertainment space into a church for London’s French-speaking community.

Bomb damage shaped Hector Corfiato’s 1953 reconstruction, which introduced artworks throughout the building. Two exterior pillars carry scenes from Mary’s life, carved by École des Beaux Arts students in differing styles. Above the entrance, Our Lady of Mercy overlooks Dom Robert’s Aubusson tapestry behind the high altar.

Jean Cocteau’s murals in the Lady Chapel provide the most striking encounter. They show the Annunciation, Mary’s Assumption, and a Crucifixion where only Jesus’s feet appear, with blood crossing Mary’s eyes. A fish-eyed figure, Roman soldiers, and Cocteau’s own questioning face deepen the mural’s mystery. Boris Anrep’s Portland stone and Venetian enamel mosaic presents the Nativity in bright outlines and muted figures. Wide pews offer a quiet place to sit beside this layered French Catholic art.