Protestant Temple

In a city full of straight lines and right angles, it’s always surprising to come across something round — like the building in front of you. This is the Protestant Temple of Orléans, and it’s one of the very few round Protestant churches in all of France. Inspired by classical architecture, it features a striking Ionic portico with four elegant columns, a carved frieze of angel masks, and a circular rotunda. To picture how it looked when it was completed in 1839, just imagine it topped with a wooden dome covered in zinc. The history of Protestantism in Orléans goes back much further, though. A first place of worship existed here in the 16th century, but it was destroyed when Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes — an edict originally signed by Henry IV to end the brutal Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants. You’ll also notice a statue in the square of John Calvin, who, along with Martin Luther, was one of the key figures behind the Protestant Reformation. Just to refresh your memory: Calvin and Luther strongly opposed many teachings of the Catholic Church — especially the idea of indulgences, where people could essentially buy forgiveness by donating money to the Church. The concept was that a good deed could cancel out a sin, and what better deed than supporting the Church? But Calvin saw this as exploitation, a way for the Pope and clergy to profit from the faith of the people. So, he pushed for a return to what he saw as the true message of the scriptures. Of course, the Reformation didn’t stay just a religious debate for long — it quickly became a political issue too. Monarchs who claimed divine right clashed with local princes who saw Protestantism as a way to assert their independence from the Pope. The result? Eight bloody wars of religion.