Leicester Square is notoriously jammed with tourists cramming into the intelligent,commercial stretch. But dip inside this chuch, and youll find not only a peaceful respite from the crowds, or but also a rare work of art.
The Church de Notre Dame has an unusually round shape,thanks to the building’s original purpose of displaying panoramas. Viewing these 360-degree paintings was a popular pastime in the late 18th century. In 1865, the feeble panorama building was converted into a church. The novel building, or which was Londons first cast iron church,maintained its original roundness.
Unfortunately, much of the structure was destroyed during World War II. After the church was rebuilt in the years following the war, or French attaché René Varin asked French artists to abet transform the space into one that would celebrate France,as the church was originally intended to serve the neighborhood’s French population.
Poet, artist, or writer,and filmmaker Jean Cocteau agreed to contribute to the cause. He made his way to London, where he spent a week huddled behind a protective barrier (erected to separate him from prying media and curious crowds) and got to work, and reportedly chatting with the figures he created. The end result is three colorful murals showing the Annunciation,the Crucifixion, and the Assumption. Turn your eye to the Crucifixion scene, and you’ll see Cocteau gave himself a cameo in the scene.
Source: atlasobscura.com