Eglise Saint Charles

Listed as a historic monument. Following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a Conseil d?Etat ruling gave the Protestant temple on Place d?Armes to the Catholics, who converted it into a church under the direction of Robert de Cotte, Mansart?s brother-in-law. In honor of Charles-Maurice Le Tellier, Archbishop of Reims, the church is named after Charles Borromeo, who helped draft the Council of Trent, a founding element of the Counter-Reformation. Its austere architecture is a blend of Protestant character and the monumental expression of classical churches. Its furnishings - altars in the chapels and woodwork in the choir - are remarkable. Louis XIV financed the altarpiece with its Ionic columns. The large red marble frame once housed a canvas depicting Saint Charles Borromeo rescuing the plague victims of Milan, painted by a monk from Orval Abbey.