Man pays homage to God through the beauty of his works. This conviction has led our community to encourage the artistic talents of its members. At Solesmes, three artists in particular exemplify this.
He became a monk in 1902, after graduating as an architect from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Following his monastic profession in 1904, he embarked on a prolific career as an architect, entirely dedicated to the glory of God. He learnt to work with brick at the Dutch Abbey of Oosterhout, which was then a place of refuge for the monks of Saint-Paul de Wisques. There he gained the experience that enabled him to realise his major work, Quarr Abbey, a place of refuge for our community following the anti-congregational law of 1901. He built numerous other churches and religious houses, both in France and abroad. His works reveal a mastery of proportion, a sense of the distribution of light and the significance of forms, which earned him recognition as a master of contemporary religious architecture and a leading figure in his field. At Solesmes, he designed the library, the great cloister and the Abbot’s oratory. He died in Quebec, where he had been called upon to complete the construction of Saint Joseph’s Oratory and draw up the plans for Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey.
He joined our community in 1916 and was appointed sacristan upon our return from exile in 1922. He held this post for 39 years. It was he who crafted almost all the liturgical vestments in our sacristy, where his very sure sense of colour is particularly evident. He also renovated the chapels in the nave of our church and decorated the Abbot’s oratory, which had been built by Dom Bellot. In collaboration with Dom Le Corre, he fitted out the crypt around the recumbent effigy of Dom Guéranger, a work by Henri Charlier. Dom de Laborde was frequently commissioned by dioceses or parishes to create altars or design new vestments.
He entered the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Quarr in 1913, but was called up and served in the First World War. He did not take his monastic vows until 1920. He too was gifted with a great artistic sense; his favourite fields were photography and goldsmithing. Our sacristy owes him several chalices and ciboria of great beauty. He was also called upon to practise his art for other sanctuaries.
