Nantes Protestant Church: Symbolising Post-World War II Changes Between Architecture and Protestant Institutions in France

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Author(s)
Dupre, Karine
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2015
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In France in 1905, after the separation of the church and the state, all religious buildings
became property of state and local governments, while the latter stopped funding
religious groups all together. This fundamentally questioned the role of architecture in
the exercise and maintenance of the long tradition of religious institutionalised power and
authority. Yet, the aftermath of World War II also contributed to new changes. In this trial
of meaningfulness and reconstruction, steps for partial reconciliation with the churches
were more present, even more so in the heavily destroyed areas of France such as along
its west ...
View more >In France in 1905, after the separation of the church and the state, all religious buildings became property of state and local governments, while the latter stopped funding religious groups all together. This fundamentally questioned the role of architecture in the exercise and maintenance of the long tradition of religious institutionalised power and authority. Yet, the aftermath of World War II also contributed to new changes. In this trial of meaningfulness and reconstruction, steps for partial reconciliation with the churches were more present, even more so in the heavily destroyed areas of France such as along its west coast. Looking specifically at one department of the west coast – Loire Atlantique – the purpose of this paper is to use the case of the reconstruction of the Nantes church to show how the role of architecture has shifted and impacted the reconceptualisation of Protestant institutions.
View less >
View more >In France in 1905, after the separation of the church and the state, all religious buildings became property of state and local governments, while the latter stopped funding religious groups all together. This fundamentally questioned the role of architecture in the exercise and maintenance of the long tradition of religious institutionalised power and authority. Yet, the aftermath of World War II also contributed to new changes. In this trial of meaningfulness and reconstruction, steps for partial reconciliation with the churches were more present, even more so in the heavily destroyed areas of France such as along its west coast. Looking specifically at one department of the west coast – Loire Atlantique – the purpose of this paper is to use the case of the reconstruction of the Nantes church to show how the role of architecture has shifted and impacted the reconceptualisation of Protestant institutions.
View less >
Conference Title
Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand. Architecture Institutions and Change
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© 2015 SAHANZ. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the conference's website for access to the definitive, published version.
Subject
Architectural History and Theory