Gauthier Laveix, creator of the Le Verre Saint café

The Holy Glass offers another access to the church for those who would not have dared to push the main door. A way of dusting off the image of the Christian sitting in front of an altar praying. And to show that we also know how to be happy and party,” explains Gauthier Laveix, 23, student at the Paris School of Commerce.

The Holy Glass? The name of this associative café opened on June 21, 2023 on the right side of the Notre-Dame-du-Travail church, known for its cast iron vaults from the beginning of the 20th century, we owe it to the vicar of the parish, Vincent de Mello. A nod to rue Vercingétorix, where this church in the 14th arrondissement of Paris is located, a stone's throw from Montparnasse station.

Located in a courtyard formerly used as a parking lot and storage room, Le Verre Saint runs with around ten volunteers from the Vercingétorix association. Open two evenings a week from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays (but Wednesdays and Saturdays during Lent), this bistro like no other has unbeatable prices: 1 euro for coffee, 2 euros for beer, 3 euros per glass of wine.

Varied customers

Under the glass roof lit by an electric garland, facing the old, completely stripped wooden bar, the warm atmosphere attracts around twenty people, and even more when the weather is nice. “The customer profile is very varied: parishioners, friends of friends, passers-by, young and old… The dean, who appreciates kir, is 90 years old! » observes Gauthier Laveix. Treasurer of the association, he specifies that “the bar is self-financing. If there are profits, they will finance the Wednesday outdoor center.”

No need to present your baptism certificate to order a coffee at Verre Saint! “We kindly welcome all the people who come to share moments of conviviality,” underlines the young man.

“Of course, the initial idea is to facilitate evangelization around a beer,” continues Marie-Valentine Schmitz, president of the association. In conversation, it may happen that we ask one or the other where they stand in relation to faith, but this is not the first question we ask. It's also easier to talk at the café with someone wearing a Roman collar, rather than going through an appointment made at the parish. »

To enrich the exchanges, those in charge of Le Verre Saint will invite every Wednesday, starting in April, “a committed lay person”, business manager, teacher, writer… who will come to testify to their relationship to faith.