Katiew --
Larre-GA and I collaborated on this answer. She provided some
excellent sources for historic Russian architecture; I've done the
translation work into English.
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1. Kadouchka: French-Russian Association
This site is a marvelous collection of Russian architecture in Paris
and its suburbs, including pictures. You may want to contact the
association, so I've put their phone number below the URL below.
As their website says, "For the price of a Metro ticket, you can
travel across the Old Russia that is nestled in unusual corners often
ignored by the crowds: small wood churches, isbas . . ." Almost all
of this architecture is of the period pre-dating the Russian
Revolution.
I'll break them down by their locations:
VILLA BEAUSÉJOUR (Section: Architecture Civile)
Now used as houses, there are 4 "isbas" in the 165h Arrondissement,
originally built for an exposition in 1867.
BOUGIVAL (YVELINES)
In the western section of Ile de France (the Paris region) is Yvelines
and the village of Bougival has on old datcha built by Ivan
Tourgueniev in 1875, said to recall his old home in Spaskojé, 16 km
outside of Orel, where he was born.
NOGENT-SUR-MARNE (SEINE et MARNE)
Another datcha on in Nogent-Sur-Marne, which is just E of Paris on Rue
Henry Dunant.
CATHÉDRALE SAINT ALEXANDRE NEVSKI, 12 rue Daru
This church, which dates to 1861, is in Paris's 8th Arrondisement
around L'Arc de Triomphe. It contains some of the icons from the
first Russian Orthodox church in Paris. It is the only Russian
Orthodox cathedral in Paris. The Kadouchka site notes that it is a
composite work of 19th Century architecture termed
"Byzantine-Muscovite." As an Orthodox church its characteristics
include:
-- presence of icons
-- absence of statues and sculptures
-- a strict hierarchy of images in icons
-- absence of organs and musical instruments
L'ÉGLISE SAINT SERGE DE RANDONEGE, 93 de la rue de Crimée
This church in the 19th Arrondissement has many good interior and
exterior pictures on the Kadouchka site. The front of the church has
a painted wood icon with the image of Saint Serge Radonège. This
church was repurchased from German Lutherans by Russian émigrés after
World War I, with the wooden revolving staircase added to the church.
On the stairway walls are frescos imitating the sytem of 16th Centure
painter Dimitri Stelletsy, with pictures of the Holy Fathers.
L'ÉGLISE SAINT SERAPHIN DE SAROV, 91 rue Lecourbe
15th Arrondissement in a courtyard, this wooden church has 2
turquoise-painted bulbs on the roof. It is recommended for its
collection of icons. Open Sunday 10-noon.
L?EGLISE DES TROIS SAINTS HIERARQUES, 5 rue Pétel
A modern church in the 15th Arrondissement but with collections of
icons from Léonide Ouspensky and Grégoire Kroug. One of the icons in
the church was brought back from Russia by one of Napoleon's soldiers,
a rarity in part because so few of Napoleon's men survived the
invasion of Russia.
L?EGLISE DE LA PRESENTATION DE LA TRES SAINTE VIERGE AU TEMPLE, 91 rue
Olivier de Serres
A Russian church that's been on the first floor of an old courtyard
workshop since 1937. It's mentioned in Vladimi Volkoff's 1981 novel,
"The Turn-Around."
L?EGLISE DE L?APPARITION DE LA VIERGE, 87 Boulevard Exelmans
A parish in the 16th Arrondissement with door and windows on the
ground floor with arcades in the Russian "kokochnik" style. Icons in
the church are from Dimitri Stelletsky.
L?EGLISE DE TOUS LES SAINTS DE LA TERRE RUSSE, 19 rue Claude Lorrain
Also in the 16th is this church on the first floor of a brick
building. Its only Russian element is a "kokochnik" wooden door.
OTHER CHURCHES IN THE 15th, 16th ARRONDISEMENTS
-Le diocèse du Patriarcat de Moscou
-L?Archevêché de France et d?Europe Occidentale
-L?Eglise Russe Hors-Frontières
- Catholic Russian Church, in the basement at 39 rue François Gérard
Aprés l?architecture civile et l?architecture religieuse à Paris, nous
vous invitons à parcourir la banlieue à la découverte des églises
russes:
L?EGLISE SAINT SERAPHIN DE SAROV (SEINE ET MARNE)
A church with the same name as the Parisian church, this one is at 23
Avenue de l?Étoile d?Or in the village of Chelles.
ERMITAGE DU SAINT-ESPRIT, (YVELINES)
7 avenue des Bruyères in the village of Le Mesnil Saint-Denis, this
church is in a forest and has 6 wooden bulbs on the roof. It also has
several wood cabins that housed cloistered monks.
EGLISE DE LA DORMITION DE LA MERE DE DIEU (ESSONNE)
Straight south of Paris in Sainte Genevieve des Bois, this church wa
built in 1938 by Albert Benois in the style of the churches of
Novgorod during the 15th and 16th Century. Frescoes in the church
were painted by Benois and his wife, Marguerite. The iconistry is
that of F. Fedorov. Benois is buried in the Russian graveyard here,
along with many Russian Orthodox dignitaries.
EGLISE SAINT NICOLAS (HAUTS DE SEINE)
At 132bis, rue du Point du Jour, this chapel in wood is at the back of
a courtyard in Boulogne-Billancourt and is invisible from the street.
EGLISE NOTRE DAME SOUVERAINE (HAUTS DE SEINE)
At 22 rue Alexis Maneyrol in Chaville, this church is in a small house
with a bulb on the roof.
EGLISE SAINT CONSTANTIN ET HELENE (HAUTS DE SEINE)
This church at 4 bis rue Henry in Clamart is the one pictured on the
web page. It is invisible from the street. Half of this chapel is
timbered and half in wood.
ELISE DE LA RESURECTION DU CHRIST (HAUTS DE SEINE)
The entryway is in sculpted wood with a wood interior described as
"very beautiful." At
8 rue des Bigots in Meudon.
CHAPELLE SAINT GEORGES (HAUTS DE SEINE)
Also in Meudon at 15 rue Porto-Riche. This chapel is on the grounds
of the Center for Russian Studies. The interior is decorated with
fresco and painted icons, many by Egon Sendler.
EGLISE DE LA SAINTE TRINITE (HAUTS DE SEINE)
16 rue Michel-Ange in Vanves. There are actually two churches here,
20 meters from each other. One is not heated and the brick one is
used in the winter.
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CEMETERIES
Normally a cemetery doesn't qualify as an architectural site, but
Paris is a little different. Kadouchka recommends both the Père
Lachaise cemetery, which is world-renowned, and the Russian cemetery
in Sainte Genevieve des Bois, 8 Rue Léo-Lagrange.
Kadouchka
"Russia on the Seine"
http://www.kadouchka.com/Russiesurseine.htm
Phone: (00 33) 1 46 63 68 05
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2. THEATER OF THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES
Yet another site is the Theater of the Champs-Elysées, built in 1913.
Its history notes that
"The birth of the Theater was marked by the 'scandal" of the creation
of Stravinsky's 'Sacre du Printemps' interpreted by Nijinsky."
Theater des Champs-Elysées
"History"
http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/
Contact information for the music hall is here:
http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/html/doc/infos_contact.html
"Igor Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps"
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/sy58.shtml
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3. PARISIAN PUBLIC BUILDINGS
Larre suggested the period rooms in Paris City Hall (Hôtel de Ville),
which is right next to Notre Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité or
center of "old old" Paris:
http://www.paris.fr/fr/culture/actualites/Journees_patrimoine_2004/4eme.asp
http://www.paris.fr/fr/la_mairie/VR/photos/salles/bertrand/bertrand.htm
It's an excellent recommendation. The French do a wonderful job of
keeping public buildings alive and using them for exhibitions of
period arts and crafts, so there are lots of choices. You might find
that the French Ministry of Culture and Communications can help pin
down specific domains. See, in particular, the specific people
responsible for music and arts issues toward the bottom of this page:
French Ministry of Culture and Communications
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/que/contact.htm
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4. The Paris Russe site is a collection of everything Russian, from
some of the architectural sites already mentioned to museums and even
shops specializing in Russian items. It's really just a directory
with addresses and phone numbers but could be a useful resource:
Russian Paris
http://www.paris-russe.com/
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5. The Musée de Montparnasse is mentioned in the Paris Russe
directory but there's much more detail about it at this site. It was
originally started in 1912 by Marie Vassilieff, who was born in
Smolensk, then came to Paris and opened it as the Académie Russe in
1910. It served as a canteen for starving modern artists -- almost
certainly Stravinsky would have known of the atelier and have been
there:
Metropole Paris (in English)
http://www.metropoleparis.com/1999/403/403foujt.html
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6. NOT PERIOD PIECES
This dooen't reflect the period, but reflect the impact of Stravinsky
on culture later in the 20th Century. The Stravinsky Fountain on the
Stravinsky Place park at the Pompidou Center:
"La Fontaine Stravinsky"
http://www.ac-creteil.fr/arp/Pages/2003/programme_limitatif/PL_Saint-Phalle.htm
Finally, if you're contacting one of the Russian cultural or
commercial groups in Paris, you may want to ask them if any of the
restaurants or cafés present a good background or ambiance:
Russian Restaurants in Paris
http://www.dragone.org/restaurants/restorusses/
Google search strategy:
We went with some native French phrases here -- then translated some
of the contents:
Architecture Russe Paris
Stravinsky à Paris
Restaurants Russe Paris
Hopefully this will give you a good start but if there's any
clarification needed, don't hesitate to ask before rating this Google
Answer.
Bon voyage,
Omnivorous-GA |
