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cocteau murals behind leicester square

Church of Notre Dame de France

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Leicester Square · Leicester Square
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A circular church a step from Leicester Square hiding extraordinary murals by the artist Jean Cocteau.

Getting there. On Leicester Place just off Leicester Square, a minute from the station.
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Leicester Square · Leicester Square
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The lowdown

Just yards from the neon and crowds of Leicester Square, behind an easily missed door, lies the French church of Notre Dame de France, unusual for its circular plan. Step inside the hush and you will find its real secret, a side chapel decorated in 1960 with delicate murals by the celebrated French artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau.

Drawn in his loose, dreamlike line, the murals show scenes from the life of the Virgin, with Cocteau even sketching himself among the figures. It is free to visit, an astonishing and genuinely tranquil pocket of art and calm hidden in the busiest corner of the West End.

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The insider tip

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Head straight for the Lady Chapel to the left to find the Cocteau murals, his only religious works in Britain. Look closely and you can spot the artist's self-portrait worked into the drawing.
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