Tradition and modernity in the religious architecture of the Montpellier architect Julien Boudes

The comparison of two Montpellier churches, Saint-Francois and Sainte-Therese, reveals something of the principles which have guided protection policies for contemporary architecture in the Languedoc region. Although these two churches were built by the same architect, they show a spirit and stylistic references which are very different. Designed in a new context for church building, that of the separation of church and state in early 20th-century France, these two private constructions are unlike earlier conventual or parish buildings, in terms of the personality of their commissioning clients, their architect and their new functions, as well as in the style of their construction.