Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis

Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis
The north façade in June 2019
Location	Paris
Country	France
Denomination	Catholic
Website	spsl.fr
History
Former name(s)	Church of Saint Paul
Consecrated	9 May 1641
Architecture
Architect(s)	Étienne MartellangeandFrançois Derand
Groundbreaking	1627
Completed	1641
Administration
Archdiocese	Paris

TheÉglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louisis a church on rue Saint-Antoine in theMaraisquarter ofParis.The present building was constructed from 1627 to '41 by theJesuitarchitectsÉtienne MartellangeandFrançois Derand,on the orders ofLouis XIII of France.It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the newBaroque styleof the Jesuits, and it had an important influence on Parisian religious architecture. It gives its name toPlace Saint-Pauland its nearest Metro station,Saint-Paul.Next door to the church is theLycée Charlemagne,also founded by the Jesuits.

History

First church

The first church on the site, Saint-Paul-des-Champs, was dedicated around 1125,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 Sévignéwas baptised in the old church in 1626, in the first chapel of Saint-Louis. The chemistAntoine Lavoisierwas an important patron of the church, until he was guillotined in 1794 during theFrench Revolution.

Saint Paul des Champs in c.1550

Behind it was a cemetery, originally connected to the monastery of Saint-Éloi, founded by monks ofsaint Eloi of NoyonandDagobert 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.A portion of the old wall still remains, next to the Lycée.

17th century -the new church

The church and neighbourhood about 1660

In 1580 theJesuitsestablished 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.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 Jésuitesattached 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.It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the newBaroque style.The plan is inspired by theChiesa del Gesùin Rome.

The church in 1679

The first mass was celebrated in the new building on 9 May 1641 (the feast of the Ascension) byCardinal Richelieu,with theoremusespronounced byBossuet.The famous Jesuit preacherLouis Bourdalouepreached some of his memorable sermons in the church, for Lent and Advent, between 1669 and 1693. He also preached a funeral sermon for theGrand Condéin the church in 1687.Esprit Fléchieralso preached here.

The new church became famous for its music; the musical directors includedMarc-Antoine CharpentieretJean-Philippe Rameau.

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 Bourdaloueis buried in the church's crypt. Between 1688 and 1698,Marc-Antoine Charpentierwas employed by the Jesuits and was master of music in the church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis.Other masters of music there includedAndré CampraandLouis Marchand.Jacques de LétinpaintedThe Death ofSaint Louisfor the church, which can still be seen here.

18th-19th century

Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis on the 1734plan de Turgot

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.

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 Beingbefore being restored to Catholicism in 1802 under theConcordat of 1801.

DelacroixpaintedChrist in agony on the Mount of Olivesfor 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.The church also displaysLa vierge del DouleurbyGermain 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 Communeof 1871.

Exterior

The façade was clearly influenced by the new Italianbaroquestyle, particularly theChurch of the Gesùin 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 ParisbySalomon 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 usesCorinthiancolumns 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 ornamant covering the façade.

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 InvalidesandVal-de-Grace.

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  The north façade
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  Detail of the upper north façade
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  View of the apse and dome from the south
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  The Charlemagne Fountain, at the south end of the church

Interior

The interior design was largely inspired by theChurch of the Gesùin 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.

The architectural historianAndré Chastelwrote: "the Jesuit order, even while recommending certain aspects, was attentive to local traditions."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 thecrossingalso recalls Italian architecture of a slightly earlier period, such as that ofCarlo Maderno.

The altar

The white marble high altar was moved and rebuilt underLouis-Philippe Iwith fragments from Napoleon's tomb atLes Invalides.On 15 February 1843,Léopoldine Hugosecretly marriedCharles Vacqueriein the church. At the entrance of the church are the two clam-shell holy water vessels, donated by her fatherVictor Hugoto 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.

• 
  The nave, facing the altar
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  The dome and the apse
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  Seashell benetier donated by Victor Hugo

Art and Decoration

Stained glass

• 
  white stained glass to maximize light
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  Coat of arms of the De la Porte family
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  Detail of the stained glass
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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

Sculpture

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  "Saint Genevieve" on north façade
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  "The Virgin of Sorrow" byGermain Pilon(1588)
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  "Religion instructing an Indian", byNicolas-Sébastien Adam(1745)
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  "Saint Vincent de Paul"
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  "Saint Paul", on north façade

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.

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  Pendentive of the dome
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  Decorated vaults of the nave
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  Sculpture in a ceiling vault
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  Interior sculpture below the dome

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  "Saint Paul Preaching in Athens", Bas-relief by Louis-Alexandre Romagnesi (1776-1852)
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  Sculpture below the dome
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  Decoration of a column capital

Painting

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  "Saint Louis receives the Crown of Thorns from the hands of Christ" bySimon Vouet,(1639)
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  "Christ in the Garden of Olives" byEugène Delacroix(1827) (on loan to Metropolitan Museum)
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  "The Death of Saint Louis" byJacques de Létin

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.

• "Louis XIII offering to Saint Louis a model of the Church Saint-Louis", attributed to the workshop ofSimon Vouet,located in the right transept.
• "The Death of Saint Louis", byJacques de Létin(1597-1661), also in the right transept.
• "Saint Louis receiving the Crown of Thorns from the hands of Christ" byMichel Corneille the Elder(1601-1664) Corneille was a pupil of Simon Vouet.

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."This paintings has been on a long-term loan to theMetropolitan Museumin 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.

The Organs

The Gallery Organ

• 
  The gallery pipe organ
• 
  Detail of the pipe organ

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.

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-styledRécitmanual. 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 Chancel Organ

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.

See also

• List of historic churches in Paris
• List of Jesuit sites

Bibliography (in French)

• Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle;Églises de Paris(2010), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux,ISBN978-2-7072-0683-1
• Hillairet, Jacques;Connaissance du Vieux Paris;(2017); Éditions Payot-Rivages, Paris; (in French).ISBN978-2-2289-1911-1

External links

• (in French)The first Jesuit church in Paris
• (in French)Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis on.evous
• (in French)Les orgues de ParisGrand organ - specifications and photo
• (in French)Les orgues de ParisChoir organ - specifications and photo