Inter-artistic alliances in the early twentieth-century <i>renouveau catholique</i>: the case of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Abstract The spirit of Catholic revivalism in turn-of-the-twentieth century France has received attention from literary scholars and musicologists respectively. But little consideration has been paid to the ways in which a conservative religious identity was bolstered by alliances between the visual arts and music during this period. This article considers how one community in Saint-Germain-en-Laye was mobilized in service to the renouveau catholique before and after the First World War. This ‘cenacle’ of musicians, theologians and artists was centred around a local orphanage choir, whose growing reputation beyond the suburbs was founded upon its promotion of liturgical chant. The article concentrates on those most closely connected with the choir, including the priest Clément Besse and the painter Maurice Denis. A consideration of the choir’s role within a wider social fabric demonstrates the earnestness of debates over cultural expression within the broader Catholic revival, when Republican laicization was forcing worship into the private sphere.