The Church at Auvers

The Church at Auvers is an oil painting Vincent van Gogh made in 1890, during the final weeks of his life in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise. It belongs to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where visitors can see how he turned a village church into a study of intense colour and shifting light.

Where to see it

The Church at Auvers is in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Paintings can be moved, lent or temporarily taken off display, so check the Musée d'Orsay's official website for current display status before you plan your visit.

What to look for in person

A violet church under a cobalt sky

Start with the colour of the building itself. Van Gogh did not paint the stone church in greys or browns. In a letter to his sister he described it as violet against a plain, deep cobalt-blue sky, with ultramarine windows and a roof in violet touched with orange. Stand back to see how these colours work together, then move closer to notice how the blue of the sky presses right up against the outline of the church.

Sunlit ground, shadowed church

Next, look at where the light falls. The ground at the bottom of the canvas is bright with sunshine, while the church itself stands in its own shade. This reversal gives the building a heavy, looming presence above the sunlit grass and path. Look also for a detail that observers often point out: the church casts a shadow, but the walking figure does not. It is a reminder that Van Gogh was shaping the scene for effect rather than recording it exactly as it appeared.

The forked path and the walking woman

Finally, follow the path up from the foreground. It splits into two branches that pass on either side of the church, steering your eye left and right rather than straight to a doorway. On the left-hand path, a peasant woman walks away from you, seen from behind. She is small beside the building, and she adds a sense of scale and everyday village life. Notice how the curving lines of the paths contrast with the upright mass of the church.

About the painting

Van Gogh painted The Church at Auvers in 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, a village north-west of Paris. He spent the last ten weeks of his life there, under the care of Dr Paul Gachet, and the period was one of steady work. The subject is the village's Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, a real building that still stands. Unusually, we know how the artist himself thought about the picture. In a letter to his sister Wilhelmina dated 5 June 1890, he described the church as violet against a deep cobalt-blue sky, with ultramarine windows and a partly orange roof. In the same letter he compared it to studies he had made years earlier in Nuenen of an old tower and cemetery, saying the new work was much the same, only with more expressive colour. That comparison is useful for visitors: it shows Van Gogh returning to a familiar subject, a village church, and treating it with the brighter, bolder palette he had developed in France. The canvas is a vertical format, recorded as 94 cm high and 74 cm wide, large enough that the church fills much of your view when you stand in front of it. The Musée d'Orsay inventory number is RF 1951 42, which can help if you are searching the museum's online collection. The painting is also familiar to many people from popular culture: it features prominently in the 2010 Doctor Who episode 'Vincent and the Doctor'.

Key facts

Artist	Vincent van Gogh
Date	1890
Size	94 × 74 cm
Medium	oil paint, canvas
Collection	Musée d'Orsay

How to visit: Musée d'Orsay

Paris, France · Museum guide

Opening hours	Tue–Wed, Fri–Sun 09:30–18:00 (galleries close at 17:30) Thu 09:30–21:45 (late opening; galleries close at 21:15)
Closed	Every Monday, 1 May and 25 December.
Last entry	17:00 (exhibitions 17:15); Thursdays 21:00
Admission	Full rate, online EUR 16 Full rate, at the museum EUR 14 Reduced rate (on site only) EUR 11 Enfant & Cie, online EUR 13 Enfant & Cie, at the museum EUR 11 Night rate (Thursday), online EUR 12 Night rate (Thursday), at the museum EUR 10 Under 18s; EEA residents under 26 free
Free entry	Free for under 18s and residents of the European Economic Area under 26. Free on the first Sunday of the month, with booking required.
Booking	Booking is strongly recommended. Entry is by timed slot.

The museum stays open and all collections and exhibitions remain accessible, but entrances have changed: timed-ticket holders use Entrance 1 (Quay); priority visitors, reseller voucher holders, visitors without tickets and groups use Entrance 2 (Forecourt). Arrive at least 15 minutes before your time slot.

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