The Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is a church on rue Saint-Antoine in the

Marais Marais (, meaning "marsh") may refer to: People * Marais (given name) * Marais (surname) Other uses * Le Marais, historic district of Paris * Théâtre du Marais, the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France * Marais (c ...

quarter of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. The present building was constructed from 1627 to 1641 by the Jesuit architects

Étienne Martellange Étienne Martellange (22 December 1569 – 3 October 1641) was a French Jesuit architect and draftsman. He travelled widely in France as an architect for the Jesuit order and designed more than 25 buildings, mostly schools and their associated ...

and François Derand, on the orders of Louis XIII of France. It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the new Baroque style of the Jesuits, and it had an important influence on Parisian religious architecture. It gives its name to Place Saint-Paul and its nearest Metro station, Saint-Paul. Next door to the church is the Lycée 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 to

Paul the Hermit Paul of Thebes (; , ''Paûlos ho Thēbaîos''; ; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit, who was claimed to have lived alone in the deser ...

, a Christian monk in Egypt in the 3rd-4th century. Behind it was a cemetery, originally connected to the monastery of Saint-Éloi, founded by monks of saint Eloi of Noyon and

Dagobert I Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dyna ...

. The old cemetery behind the church contained the remains of prominent figures, including François Rabelais, and the architect

François Mansart François Mansart (; 23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666) was a French architect credited with introducing classicism into Baroque architecture of France. The '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' cites him as the most accomplished of 17th-century Fr ...

. Madame de Sévigné was baptised in the old church in 1626, in the first chapel of Saint-Louis. The chemist

Antoine Lavoisier Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier ( , ; ; 26 August 17438 May 1794),
CNRS (

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. 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 famous Paul of Tarsus, rather than Paul the Hermit. The old church was finally demolished in 1799. portion of the old wall still remains, next to the Lycée.

17th century -the new church

L'église Saint-Louis et la fontaine de Birague

In 1580 the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

established their first house in Paris, and constructed a chapel dedicated to Louis 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. 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 the Maison Professe des Jésuites attached to it. This much larger building was funded by King Louis XIII, who laid the first stone. The name of his ancestor, Louis IX, was added to the name of the church. The architect of the new church was the Jesuit priest

. The first mass was celebrated in the new building on 9 May 1641 (the feast of the Ascension) by cardinal Richelieu, with the oremuses pronounced by Bossuet. The famous Jesuit preacher Louis 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 the Grand Condé in the church in 1687. The prominent clerics Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet and Esprit Fléchier also preached here. The new church became famous for its music; the musical directors included

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

et Jean-Philippe Rameau. The Jesuit priests became the confessors or "directors of conscience" of the Kings of France. However, in 1762, after a dispute with the King, the Jesuits were expelled from France by the Parlement of Paris. The church was transferred to another religious order, the Congregation of France, or Génofévains, whose headquarters was at the Abbey 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 the Abbey of Saint Denis, where they are found today. Jean-Jacques Olier (founder of the Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice) was baptised in the church on 20 September 1608 and Louis Bourdaloue is buried in the church's crypt. Between 1688 and 1698,

was employed by the Jesuits and was master of music in the church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis. Other masters of music there included André Campra and Louis Marchand. Jacques de Létin painted ''The Death of Saint Louis'' for the church, which can still be seen here.

18th-19th century

When the

Parlement de Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

suppressed the Jesuits in 1762, the building was reassigned to the canons of Sainte-Catherine-du-Val-des-Ecoliers. During the

, On 2 September 1792, 5 priests were killed in the church during the

September Massacres The September Massacres were a series of killings of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792, from Sunday, 2 September until Thursday, 6 September, during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by '' fédérés'', gu ...

. This is commemorated by a plaque. The church was closed and turned into storehouse and a temple of the Cult of Reason and the Supreme Being before being restored to Catholicism in 1802 due to the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation ...

. The white marble

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

was moved and rebuilt under Louis-Philippe I with fragments from Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides. The church was later renamed the 'église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis' in memory of the church of Saint-Paul, which had been demolished in 1796. On 15 February 1843, Léopoldine Hugo secretly married Charles Vacquerie in the church; her father

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

offered the church two clam-shell holy water vessels to mark the occasion, still to be seen in the church. Seven months later Leopoldine was drowned when their boat overturned on the Seine, and her husband also drowned trying to save her. Delacroix painted ''Christ 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 Cit

The church also displays :File:St Paul et St. Louis, Paris 05 La vierge del Douleur de Germain Pilon (1586).JPG, ''La vierge del Douleur'' by Germain 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 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 1871.

Exterior

File:Eglise St Paul Paris 2012.jpg, The north façade File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Façade principale 08.JPG, Detail of the upper north façade File:St-Paul-St-Louis-DSC 8068.jpg, View of the apse and dome from the south File:Fontaine rue Charlemagne.jpg, The Charlemagne Fountain, at the south end of the church The façade was clearly influenced by the new Italian baroque style, particularly the

Church of the Gesù , image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque , mapframe = yes , mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a full ...

in Rome, the mother church of the Jesuit order, but it also had a major influence closer to home; the 1618 façade of the église Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais de Paris by

Salomon de Brosse Salomon de Brosse (c. 1571 – 8 December 1626) was an early 17th-century French architect who moved away from late Mannerism to reassert the French classical style and was a major influence on François Mansart. Life Salomon was born in V ...

, 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 uses

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

columns on the two lower levels and

composite order The Composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order.Henig, Martin (ed.), ''A Handbook of Roman Art'', p. 50, Phaidon, 1983, In many versions the composite or ...

. 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, lavish than the Italian style, seen in the abundance of sculpture and ornamant covering the façade. The dome of the church's 55 meters high, was one of the first to be constructed in Paris. It served as a model for other domes, including those of Les Invalides and Val-de-Grace.

Interior

File:Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Church Interior 1, Paris, France.jpg, The nave, facing the altar File:Eglise Saint-Paul Saint-Louis @ Paris (31588657251).jpg, The dome and the apse File:St-Paul-St-Louis-DSC 8039.jpg, The altar The interior design was largely inspired by the

in Rome, with some French additions.The lavish decoration, decreed by the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

(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 the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. The architectural historian

André Chastel André Chastel (15 November 1912, Paris – 18 July 1990, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French art historian, author of an important work on the Italian Renaissance. He was a professor at the Collège de France, where he held the chair of art and civil ...

wrote: "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 the crossing also recalls Italian architecture of a slightly earlier period, such as that of Carlo Maderno. Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

on the occasion of the baptism of his first child.

Art and Decoration

Stained glass

File:Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, statue Sainte Geneviève.JPG, "Saint Genevieve" on north façade File:Germain pilon, madonna dolente, 1586, 01.JPG, "The Virgin of Sorrow" by Germain Pilon (1588) File:La Religion instruisant un Indien par Nicolas-Sébastien Adam (église St-Paul St-Louis de Paris).jpg, "Religion instructing an Indian", by Nicolas-Sébastien Adam (1745) File:Statue of Saint Vincent de Paul @ Eglise Saint-Paul Saint-Louis @ Paris (31704007595).jpg, "Saint Vincent de Paul" File:Saint Paul - Saint Louis, Paris 06.jpg, "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. File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Coupole Pendentif 03.JPG, Pendentive of the dome File:Voûtes de l'église Saint-Paul de Paris.jpg, Decorated vaults of the nave File:Interior Saint Paul Saint Louis 06.JPG, Sculpture in a ceiling vault File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Intérieur 07.JPG, Interior sculpture below the dome File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Coupole Pendentif 03.JPG> File:Saint Paul - Saint Louis, Paris 14.jpg, "Saint Paul Preaching in Athens", Bas-relief by Louis-Alexandre Romagnesi (1776-1852) File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Coupole Pendentif 09.JPG, Sculpture below the dome File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Intérieur 05.JPG, Decoration of a column capital

Painting

File:Saint Louis Couronne Epines.JPG, "Saint Louis receives the Crown of Thorns from the hands of Christ" by

Simon Vouet Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...

, (1639) File:Delacroix - Le Christ au Jardin des Oliviers (1827).jpg, "Christ in the Garden of Olives" by Eugène Delacroix (1827) (on loan to Metropolitan Museum) File:Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Wandgemälde 2.jpg, "The Death of Saint Louis" by Jacques 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 of

, located in the right transept. * "The Death of Saint Louis", by Jacques de Létin (1597-1661), also in the right transept. * "Saint Louis receiving the Crown of Thorns from the hands of Christ" by Michel 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" by Eugène 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 the Metropolitan 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.

The Organs

The Gallery Organ

File:P1040543 Paris IV eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis orgue rwk.JPG, The gallery pipe organ File:P1040542 Paris IV eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis orgue rwk.JPG, 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, of Rouen, 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 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 ...

, 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-styled ''Récit'' 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 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.

References

Bibliography (in French)

*Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle; ''Églises de Paris'' (2010), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, *Hillairet, Jacques; ''Connaissance du Vieux Paris''; (2017); Éditions Payot-Rivages, Paris; (in French).

External links

*
The first Jesuit church in Paris
*

*

Grand organ - specifications and photo *

Choir organ - specifications and photo {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Marais, Saints Paul and Louis Saints Paul and Louis Saints Paul and Louis Jesuit churches in France 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France Louis XIII Baroque architecture in France