Église de la Sainte-Trinité de Paris Face

The Église de la Sainte-Trinité is a Roman Catholic church located in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as the neuvième (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is loc ...

. The church is a building of the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

period, built between 1861 and 1867 at a cost of almost 5 million francs.

Church

La Trinité, as it is known, was designed 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 ...

as part of the beautification and reorganization of Paris under

Baron Haussmann Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

. Exterior figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity on the church were sculpted by

Eugène-Louis Lequesne Eugène-Louis Lequesne (or Le Quesne) (15 February 1815 – 3 June 1887) was a French sculptor. Lequesne was born and died in Paris. In 1841, he entered the École nationale des beaux-arts, in James Pradier's workshop. In 1843, he won th ...

. The 93 meter-long church has a bell tower 63 metres high topped by a dome. The choir is ten steps higher than the nave and surrounded by an ambulatory. Also named after it are the rue de La Trinité and the square de La Trinité. The church is accessible by the Métro (the nearby station, Trinité, is named after it) and is known internationally for its former organist, the French composer

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

. It was the location of

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

's funeral, on 13 November 1868,

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

's funeral, on 11 March 1869, and

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

's funeral in 1875. The church's facade served as the inspiration for the design of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

Organs

La Trinité features two organs, a Cavaillé-Coll chancel organ and a Cavaillé-Coll grand organ located in the balcony. The latter instrument has been extensively renovated and expanded over the decades: * 1869 Original construction by the Cavaillé-Coll firm * 1871 Reconstruction and repairs by the Cavaillé-Coll firm after damages incurred during the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

of 1870 * 1901 Rebuilding by Merklin * 1934 Rebuilding by the Pleyel-Cavaillé-Coll firm * 1962–65 Rebuilding by the Beuchet-Debierre firm The current specifications of the grand organ are:

Organists

The titular organists at La Trinité include *

Charles-Alexis Chauvet Charles-Alexis Chauvet (7 June 1837 – 29 January 1871) was a French organist and composer. Biography Born in Marines, Charles-Alexis Chauvet made his debut at the organ of St. Remi church in Marines, only 11 years old. He entered the Conse ...

(1869-1871) *

Alexandre Guilmant Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantor ...

(1871–1901) *

Charles Quef Charles Paul Florimond Quef (1 November 1873, Lille – 2 July 1931, Paris) was a French organist and composer. He studied at the conservatory in Lille, and later he attended the Paris Conservatory where he studied with Charles-Marie Widor, L ...

(1901–1931) *

(1931–1992) *

Naji Hakim Naji Subhy Paul Irénée Hakim (Arabic: ''ناجي صبحي حكيم'' 'Naji Sobhi Hakim'' born 31 October 1955) is a Franco-Lebanese organist, composer, and improviser. He studied the organ under Jean Langlais at the Conservatoire de Paris, an ...

(1993–2008) * (since 1999) *

Loïc Mallié Loïc or Loick is a male personal forename chiefly used in Brittany, in western France, and in the Breton community in French-speaking countries. Origins ''Loïc'' is a Breton given name, based on ''Laou'', a Breton diminutive of Gwilherm or G ...

(since 2011)

References

External links

L’Église de la Trinité home page
{{Authority control Churches completed in 1867 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France Eglise de la Sainte-Trinite 1867 establishments in France