St. Christopher is well known as the patron saint of travelers. But modern means of transport are rarely depicted in a church! However, if you go to the 15th arrondissement of Paris you can discover an airplane, a train, and a hot air balloon on a fresco.
In 1926, population growth in the south of Paris made it necessary to build a church to replace a temporary chapel that had been in use for too long. The neighborhood was changing, and so were construction techniques. To ensure rapid, inexpensive construction, it was necessary to use the most modern means available at the time: prefabrication.
In fact, the St. Christopher de Javel church, whose construction began in 1926, was the first prefabricated church in France — built using elements of reinforced molded cement. The elements were molded at a factory, and assembled on site in blocks.
The technique was innovative, and the architect in charge of construction had registered the patents a few years earlier. Within four years, the church was built. But the main surprise of the building is certainly the particularly original tribute to St. Christopher.
A renewed representation of St. Christopher
The story of St. Christopher is well known. Wanting to serve God, Christopher — a man of colossal stature — used his strength to help travelers cross a dangerous river. One day, he carried Christ himself (the saint’s name means “Christ-bearer” in Greek).
He is invoked to protect from danger all those who use a means of transport. Besides being the patron saint of motorists (his image is often found in cars), he’s also the patron saint of boatmen and railwaymen, among others.
The frescoes decorating the apse depict him, which is not unusual in a church dedicated to him. What’s more unusual are the themes depicted: St. Christopher is surrounded by travelers of all kinds. The presence of modern means of locomotion -- such as airplanes, trains, automobiles, hot-air balloons, and ocean liners -- makes these frescoes so singular. The city district where it is found was characterized by the transport industry, and the nearby Citroën factories were running at full capacity.
Henri-Marcel Magne, the painter who created the frescoes, thus renews the iconography associated with St. Christopher. At the same time, he continues the iconographic tradition of the patron saint of all those on the move, and extends it to the most recent modes of travel.
In this way, the artist demonstrates his willingness to take into account the context of a rapidly evolving era, and to offer a representation of religious art that also takes technical developments into account. At St. Christopher de Javel, the art blends the tradition of fresco, in shades of blue and gold, with the modernity of the subject. A unique testimony!
