The Basilica of Saint Clotilde (''Basilique Ste-Clotilde'') is a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, located on the Rue Las Cases, in the 7th arrondissement. It is best known for its twin

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

History

Construction of the church was first mooted by the Paris City Council on 16 February 1827. It was designed by architect

F. C. Gau Franz Christian Gau (15 June 1790, in Cologne – January 1854, in Paris) was a French architect and archaeologist of German descent. In 1809 he entered the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and in 1815 visited Italy and Sicily. In 1817 he went to ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

in a

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. Work began in 1846, but Gau died in 1853, and the job was continued by

Théodore Ballu Théodore Ballu (8 June 1817 – 22 May 1885) was a French architect who designed numerous public buildings in Paris . He is the grandfather of the industrialist and politician Guillaume Ballu. Winning the Prix de Rome In 1840, Théodore Ball ...

who completed the church in 1857. It was opened on 30 November 1857 by Cardinal Morlot. The church was declared a minor basilica by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

in 1896.

Architecture

This neo-gothic basilica is marked by its two towers 69 meters high. The interior is clear and there are stained glass windows by Thibaut (a 19th-century glassmaker), paintings by

Jules Eugène Lenepveu Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). It is the given name of: People with the name *Jules Aarons (1921–2008), American space physicist and photographer *Jules Abadie (1876–195 ...

, sculptures by

James Pradier James Pradier (born Jean-Jacques Pradier, ; 23 May 1790 – 4 June 1852) was a Genevan-born French sculpture, sculptor best known for his work in the neoclassicism, neoclassical style. Life and work Born in Geneva (then Republic of Geneva), Prad ...

and

Francisque Joseph Duret Francisque Joseph Duret (; 19 October 1804 – 26 May 1865) was a French sculptor, son and pupil of François-Joseph Duret (1732–1816). Life and career Before becoming a sculptor, Francisque Duret had shown interest in pursuing a career in thea ...

. A series of sculptures by

Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume (4 July 1822, Montbard – 1 March 1905, Rome) was a French sculptor. Biography He was born at Montbard on the Côte-d'Or. He studied under Cavelier, Millet, and Barrias, at the École des Beaux-Arts, wh ...

representing the conversion of

Valerie of Limoges Valerie may refer to: People *Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie *Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 son ...

, her condemnation to death, decapitation and the appearance of

Saint Martial Saint Martial (3rd century), called "the Apostle of the Gauls" or "the Apostle of Aquitaine", was the first bishop of Limoges. His feast day is 30 June. Life There is no accurate information as to the origin, dates of birth and death, or the acts ...

. The building dominates the Samuel-Rousseau square, where one can see chestnut trees. The basilica was copied by the architect Léon Vautrin for the construction of the facade of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Guangzhou between 1863 and 1888.

The Rectors and Vicars of Sainte-Clotilde

Abbot

Arthur Mugnier Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

, nicknamed the "confessor of the duchesses," and who left a diary, was one of the vicars. Abbé Henri Chaumont, vicar of the parish from 1869 to 1874, in 1872 with Caroline Carré de Malberg founded the Society of the Daughters of Saint Francis de Sales, whose mother-house moved to Lorry-lès-Metz. Abbé Albert Colombel was first vicar in 1914. Abbé

Bernard Bouveresse Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, a member of the Resistance, was parish priest and rector of Sainte-Clotilde from the post-war period to his death. In 1993, the rector of Sainte-Clotilde, the abbot

Alain Maillard de La Morandais Alain may refer to: People * Alain (given name), common given name, including list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Alain (surname) * "Alain", a pseudonym for cartoonist Daniel Brustlein * Alain, a standard author abbreviation u ...

was appointed chaplain of the parliamentarians. In 1992, Cardinal

Jean-Marie Lustiger Aron Jean-Marie Lustiger (; 17 September 1926 – 5 August 2007) was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His lif ...

, Archbishop of Paris, created the Pastoral Service for Political Studies. In 1995, he entrusted the direction to Father

Antoine de Vial Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

, who received the Pontifical Prelature in 2001. From 2005 to 2012, Father Matthieu Rougé held both positions. In September 2012, Father Laurent Stalla-Bourdillon, former vicar of the

church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

, was appointed rector of the Sainte-Clotilde church and director of SPEP.

Organ

St Clotilde is famous for the

Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (; 4 February 1811 – 13 October 1899) was a French organ builder. He has the reputation of being the most distinguished organ builder of the 19th century. He pioneered innovations in the art and science of organ buildi ...

organ (1859, enlarged 1933 and electrified 1962) played by

César Franck César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in modern-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of his birth was p ...

and the succession of famous composers who have been ''Organiste titulaire'': *

1859–1890 *

Gabriel Pierné Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (16 August 1863 – 17 July 1937) was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist. Biography Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz. His family moved to Paris, after Metz and part of Lorraine were annexed to Germ ...

1890–1898 *

Charles Tournemire Charles Arnould Tournemire (22 January 1870 – 3 or 4 November 1939) was a French composer and organist, notable partly for his improvisations, which were often rooted in the music of Gregorian chant. His compositions include eight symphon ...

1898–1939 *

Joseph-Ermend Bonnal Joseph-Ermend Bonnal (1 July 1880 – 14 August 1944); also ''Ermend-Bonnal'', alias ''Guy Marylis'') was a French composer and organist. Ermend-Bonnal received initial musical instruction from his father, a violinist. He then studied piano at t ...

1942–1944 *

Jean Langlais Jean François-Hyacinthe Langlais III (15 February 1907 – 8 May 1991) was a French composer of modern classical music, organist, and improviser. He described himself as "" ("Breton, of Catholic faith"). Biography Langlais was born in L ...

1945–1988 * Pierre Cogen and

Jacques Taddei Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

1987–1993 * Jacques Taddei 1993–2012 * Olivier Penin 2012– In addition to these titular organists,

Théodore Dubois Clément François Théodore Dubois (24 August 1837 – 11 June 1924) was a French Romantic composer, organist, and music teacher. After study at the Paris Conservatoire, Dubois won France's premier musical prize, the Prix de Rome in 1861. He bec ...

served Sainte-Clotilde as choir organist from 1858 and as choirmaster from 1863 until his appointment as organist at the Madeleine in 1869.

Gallery

File:Basilica of Saint Clotilde Pulpit, Paris, France - Diliff.jpg, The pulpit File:Basilica of Saint Clotilde Sanctuary, Paris, France - Diliff.jpg, The sanctuary File:Basilica of Saint Clotilde Interior, Paris, France - Diliff.jpg, Interior of the church File:Sainte-Clotilde as seen from the Eiffel Tower.jpg, The Sainte-Clotilde as seen from the Eiffel Tower File:Sainte_Clothilde,_1854,_pierre_peinte_et_dorée,_verre,_émail,_Eugène_Guillaume,_sculpteur,_Alexandre_Denuelle,_peintre_(1).jpg, Statue of Saint Clotilde.

Notes

External links

Basilica of St. Clotilde

Ste-Clotilde's parish website (French)
{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in the 7th arrondissement of Paris Basilica churches in Paris Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857