| Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis | |
|---|---|
 The north façade in June 2019 | |
 Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis | |
| Location | Paris |
| Country | France |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | spsl.fr |
| History | |
| Former name | Church of Saint Paul |
| Consecrated | 9 May 1641 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Étienne Martellange andFrançois Derand |
| Groundbreaking | 1627 |
| Completed | 1641 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Paris |
TheÉglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis (French pronunciation:[eɡlizsɛ̃pɔlsɛ̃lwi]) is a church on rue Saint-Antoine in theMarais quarter ofParis. The present building was constructed from 1627 to 1641 by theJesuit architectsÉtienne andFrançois Derand, on the orders ofLouis XIII. It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the newBaroque style of the Jesuits, and it had an important influence on Parisian religious architecture. It gives its name toPlace Saint-Paul and its nearest Metro station,Saint-Paul. Next door to the church is theLycée Charlemagne, also founded by the Jesuits.
The first church on the site, Saint-Paul-des-Champs, was dedicated around 1125,[1] when the neighbourhood first became a parish. It was dedicated toPaul the Hermit, a Christian monk in Egypt in the 3rd-4th century.Madame de Sévigné was baptised in the old church in 1626, in the first chapel of Saint-Louis. The chemistAntoine Lavoisier was an important patron of the church, until he was guillotined in 1794 during theFrench Revolution.
Behind it was a cemetery, originally connected to the monastery of Saint-Éloi, founded by monks ofsaint Eloi of Noyon andDagobert I. The old cemetery behind the church contained the remains of prominent figures, includingFrançois Rabelais, and the architectFrançois Mansart. The monastic cemetery disappeared and the old church was demolished in 1799. The dedication to Saint Paul was carried over to the new church, though it was transferred to the more famousPaul of Tarsus, rather than Paul the Hermit.[1] A portion of the old wall still remains, next to the Lycée.
In 1580 theJesuits established their first house in Paris, and constructed a chapel dedicated toLouis IX of France, later known as Saint Louis, close to the present church. As the city grew, this chapel was too small, and it was replaced between 1627 and 1641 with a new church, built with the financial aid ofLouis XIII.[2] The first stone of the new building was laid by Louis XIII in 1627. Its original name was 'église Saint-Louis de la maison professe des Jésuites', in reference to theMaison Professe des Jésuites attached to it. The name of his ancestor, Louis IX, was added to the name of the church. The architect of the new church was the Jesuit priestÉtienne Martellange. This was a collaboration between Martellange who drew the initial plans and another Jesuit architect,François Derand, who was responsible for the design of the facade.[3] It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the newBaroque style.[4] The plan is inspired by theChiesa del Gesù in Rome.
The first mass was celebrated in the new building on 9 May 1641 (the feast of the Ascension) byCardinal Richelieu,[5] with theoremuses pronounced byBossuet. The famous Jesuit preacherLouis Bourdaloue preached some of his memorable sermons in the church, for Lent and Advent, between 1669 and 1693. He also preached a funeral sermon for theGrand Condé in the church in 1687.Esprit Fléchier also preached here.
The new church became famous for its music; the musical directors includedMarc-Antoine Charpentier etJean-Philippe Rameau.[6]
The Jesuit priests became the confessors or "directors of conscience" of the Kings of France.Jean-Jacques Olier (founder of thePrêtres de Saint-Sulpice) was baptised in the church on 20 September 1608 andLouis Bourdaloue is buried in the church's crypt. Between 1688 and 1698,Marc-Antoine Charpentier was employed by the Jesuits and was master of music in the church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis.[7] Other masters of music there includedAndré Campra andLouis Marchand.Jacques de Létin paintedThe Death ofSaint Louis for the church, which can still be seen here.
In 1762, after a dispute with the King, the Jesuits were expelled from France by theParlement of Paris. The church was transferred to another religious order, theCongregation of France, or Génofévains, whose headquarters was at theAbbey of Saint Genevieve. The church continued to have a close relationship with the royal family; the urns containing the hearts of Louis XIII and Louis XIV were kept in the church. The urns were hidden during the French Revolution, and afterwards were transferred to theAbbey of Saint Denis, where they are found today.[4]
During theFrench Revolution, on 2 September 1792, 5 priests were killed in the church during theSeptember Massacres. They are commemorated with a plaque. The church was closed and turned into a storehouse and a temple of theCult of Reason and the Supreme Being, before being restored to Catholicism in 1802 under theConcordat of 1801.
Delacroix paintedChrist in agony on the Mount of Olives for the church, which until recently could be seen to the left of the altar. The church is currently displaying a placeholder as the original is on a long-term loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[8] The church also displaysLa vierge del Douleur byGermain Pilon (1586). On one pillar on the right side of the nave is a nearly-erased inscription 'République française ou la mort' (French Republic or death), probably dating to theParis Commune of 1871.
The façade was clearly influenced by the new Italianbaroque style, particularly theChurch of the Gesù in Rome, the mother church of the Jesuit order, but it also had a major influence closer to home; the 1618 façade of theéglise Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais de Paris bySalomon de Brosse, which has the same design of three bays with two levels on the side bays and three levels for the central bay, highlighted by a projection and doubled columns.
It usesCorinthian columns on the two lower levels andcomposite order. The dome was an unusual feature for a Jesuit building; both the dome and bell tower, fifty-five meters high, are largely hidden from view from the street by the very high façade. Another notable influence was the Flemish Baroque style, more lavish than the Italian style, seen in the abundance of sculpture and ornament covering the façade.[9]
The dome of the church is 55 meters high, and was one of the first to be constructed in Paris. It served as a model for other domes, including those ofLes Invalides andVal-de-Grace.[9]
_%25C3%2589glise_Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis_Fa%25C3%25A7ade_principale_08.JPG)
The interior design was largely inspired by theChurch of the Gesù in Rome, with some French additions. The lavish decoration, decreed by theCouncil of Trent (1545-1563), was intended to contrast with the austere churches of the Protestants, with every element intended to elevate the meditation of the faithful. Following the doctrines of the Jesuits, the decoration also contained numerous symbols and sculptures of theVirgin Mary.[9]
The architectural historianAndré Chastel wrote: "the Jesuit order, even while recommending certain aspects, was attentive to local traditions."[10] Its plan is a compromise between the Gesu's single nave flanked by side chapels and the traditional French cruciform plan, as seen in its long transepts. The tall windows in these prominent transepts and the short eastern apse allow in large amounts of light, and the dome under thecrossing also recalls Italian architecture of a slightly earlier period, such as that ofCarlo Maderno.
The white marble high altar was moved and rebuilt underLouis Philippe I with fragments from Napoleon's tomb atLes Invalides. On 15 February 1843,Léopoldine Hugo secretly marriedCharles Vacquerie in the church. At the entrance of the church are the two clam-shell holy water vessels, donated by her fatherVictor Hugo to mark the occasion of the baptism of his first child. They are still to be seen in the church. Seven months later Leopoldine was drowned when their boat overturned on the Seine, and her husband drowned trying to save her.[9]
.jpg)
Following the Baroque fashion, most of the stained glass in the windows was white, to bring a maximum of light into the church. Many of the windows were decorated with the coat-of-arms of the family that donated the window
.jpg)
.jpg)
In addition to the free-standing sculptures on the facades and interior, the pendentives of the dome and other interior architecture have their own lavish sculpture. There are very few surfaces inside the church without some sort of sculpture.
_%25C3%2589glise_Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis_Coupole_Pendentif_03.JPG)
_%25C3%2589glise_Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis_Int%25C3%25A9rieur_07.JPG)
_%25C3%2589glise_Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis_Coupole_Pendentif_09.JPG)
_%25C3%2589glise_Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis_Int%25C3%25A9rieur_05.JPG)
.jpg)
The church displays several notable paintings from the 17th century. A series of three paintings depicts scenes from the life of Louis IX, or Saint Louis, for whom the church named. The fourth of the series has disappeared.
Another notable work in the left transept is "Christ in the Garden of Olives" byEugène Delacroix (1793-1863), which depicts Christ learning of his coming from the angels, and accepting it with resignation, while the disciples sleep. In his journal, Delacroix wrote: "The angels of death, sad and severe, gaze upon Christ with looks of melancholy."[11] This paintings has been on a long-term loan to theMetropolitan Museum in New York.
The painting of the "Death of Saint Louis" by Jacques de Létin shows the King, stricken with the plague, being given the holy sacrmaents before his death. The figure on the left, face almost hidden by drapery, has the features of the artist.[12]
During the Revolution, when the church was secularized, the existing gallery organ was dismantled and lost. After reconsecration, the organ builder Pierre Dallery used components from two other instruments to install a three-manual, 30-stop organ in 1805.[13]
After some sixty years, in 1867 the administration of the church hired Narcisse Martin, ofRouen, to make modifications to the organ case and to completely restore the instrument at a cost that reached 37,000 francs. This work was completed in 1871 and the organ was approved byCésar Franck, among others. The case has been designated as an historical monument.
A century later the firm of Gonzalez undertook a major tonal restructuring of the instrument along neo-classical lines, revoicing the pipes while also electrifying the action. This work was completed in 1972. These tonal changes were later reverted in two stages, 1999 and 2005, restoring Narcisse Martin's concept, but also providing a more Romantic-styledRécit manual. The organ acquired an electronic combination system as well.
The current instrument has three manuals with a compass of 56 notes, plus a 30-note pedal board, and consists of 40 stops and 46 ranks.
The organ in the chancel was built in the nineteenth century by Krischer as a two-manual plus pedal mechanical action instrument. It comprises 13 stops and 16 ranks. Like the gallery organ, the manuals have a compass of 56 notes, with 30 notes in the pedal.[14]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
48°51′17″N2°21′41″E / 48.85472°N 2.36139°E /48.85472; 2.36139
.JPG){kind=link}