All the artworks listed in Parisian churches before 1905 and the separation of Church and State belong to the City of Paris, and all those in Notre-Dame belong to the State. However, since that date, many artworks have entered the collections of the diocese either through donations or bequests. These artworks, which are no longer in the public domain, can be displayed in religious buildings and be seen by the public, sometimes in dependencies of these buildings such as sacristies, or in other non-visitable places.
Thirteen of these paintings (and one drawing by Maurice Denis) belonging to the Church have been chosen to be exhibited at the Couvent des Bernardins in Paris by the Commission of Sacred Art. Some of these works are normally invisible, and many are unpublished and have sometimes been the subject of recent discoveries. Despite the small number of objects presented, all lovers of ancient painting and heritage should therefore go see this exhibition, which is also free, and which only lasts for two months.
While some paintings are of modest quality, many are of great interest. At least one is very well-known: the Sainte Thérèse by François Gérard (ill. 1) in the chapel of the Infirmerie Marie-Thérèse, which was notably presented at the exhibition Paris Romantique (see article). It was commissioned for its current location by Céleste de Chateaubriand in 1823, so it is not a donation or bequest but rather a property of the diocese that has never been transferred to…
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