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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 nam ...
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 * Chri ...
in
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. Si ...
, 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 a ...
s.


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 ...
of
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
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 Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
. 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-ol ...
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, sculptures by
James Pradier James Pradier (born Jean-Jacques Pradier, ; 23 May 1790 – 4 June 1852) was a Genevan-born French sculptor best known for his work in the neoclassical style. Life and work Born in Geneva (then Republic of Geneva), Pradier was the son of a Prot ...
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 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 s ...
, 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 act ...
. 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 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”. Another theory, more w ...
, 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 Caroline may refer to: People *Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...
founded the Society of the Daughters of Saint Francis de Sales, whose mother-house moved to Lorry-lès-Metz. Abbé
Albert Colombel Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert C ...
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, 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 Laurent may refer to: * Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname ** Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent ** Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician ** Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discove ...
, 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 * Chri ...
, 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 build ...
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 pa ...
and the succession of famous composers who have been ''Organiste titulaire'': *
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 pa ...
1859–1890 * Gabriel Pierné 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 symphoni ...
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 La ...
1945–1988 * Pierre Cogen and Jacques Taddei 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.


See also

*
List of historic churches in Paris This is a list, not yet complete, of churches in Paris classified by the French Ministry of Culture as national historic monuments, They are listed by historical periods though many have features from several different periods. Romanesque and Goth ...
*
Sacred Heart Cathedral of Guangzhou The Sacred Heart Cathedral, properly the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also known as the Stone Chamber or Stone House by locals, is a Gothic Revival Roman Catholic cathedral in Guangzhou, China. It is the seat of the Archbishop of G ...
, the facade of which was based on the Basilica of St. Clotilde * List of works by James Pradier Stations of the Cross


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 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France 1857 establishments in France Gothic Revival church buildings in France