Now Salle Olivier Messiaen (Olivier Messiaen Hall)
1 rue du Vieux Temple, Grenoble, France [ Map ]

The chapel of the former major seminary at Grenoble is now a concert venue named Olivier Messiaen Hall in honour of the composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) who lived in Grenoble. The building is the home and concert venue of the chamber music orchestra Les Musiciens du Louvre. It is also used as an educational facility by the Observatory of Cultural Policies (L’Observatoire des politiques culturelles) and as a rehearsal place for the Campus Orchestra of Grenoble (Orchestre des Campus de Grenoble).

Significance
Eymard studied for the priesthood at the Grenoble seminary between 1831 and 1834. At the time of his ordination by the Bishop of Grenoble (Philibert de Bruillard) on 20 July 1834, Grenoble Cathedral was unavailable due to repair works. Because of this situation, Eymard’s biographer André Guitton has concluded that Eymard was most likely ordained in the Grenoble seminary chapel, and not in the Cathedral. The Curé of Ars (St Jean-Marie Vianney) was also ordained in this chapel, on 13 August 1815.

Further Information
The composer Olivier Messiaen, after whom the building is now named, was a great admirer of St Peter Julian Eymard. When Messiaen visited Eymard’s House at La Mure on 8 August 1982, he wrote in the house diary:

Quelle joie de posseder en France, – s/à La Mure, en Dauphini, un saint tel que le Pere Pierre Julien Eymard, qui a su mettre à place, la premiere, la dévotion au Saint Sacrement!

Messiaen’s words expressed his joy at having in the Dauphine district of France a saint like Father Peter Julian Eymard, who knew about the importance of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in the first place.

LINKS
Salle Olivier Messiaen (Grenoble Culture website) [French]