Saints and sinners

The dotty suggestion the Queen be canonised is an expression of a hope she will not be forgotten

SAINT AUGUSTIN IS ONE of the finest monuments of Second Empire Paris, a Haussmannien landmark designed by Victor Baltard — the author, too, of Les Halles, long ago destroyed by municipal vandalism. The church squats on Boulevard Malesherbes north of la Madeleine. It is part neo-Romanesque, part neo-Byzantine, part paleo-Christian, wholly misshapen, wholly pompier. Its aggression is exhilarating, its sullen misproportions almost frightening. Its many elements do not form a synthesis. A collision is perhaps nearer the mark. Its interior is sumptuous, gaudy going on bling. The priests might be expected to wear chunky jewellery but of course they have the props of their job. It is the church of a wealthy area. Former hotels particuliers turned into private banks and embassies line the streets. Those named after painters (Ruysdael,…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2022

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