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 (com ...

quarter of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

architects Étienne and François Derand, on the orders of

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

. It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the new

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

of the Jesuits, and it had an important influence on Parisian religious architecture. It gives its name to

Place Saint-Paul The Place des Combattantes-et-Combattants-du-Sida is a public square in the 4th arrondissement of Paris near the Saint-Paul (Paris Métro), Saint-Paul metro station and the Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis. Origin of the name Until 2021, the centr ...

and its nearest Metro station, Saint-Paul. Next door to the church is the

Lycée Charlemagne The Lycée Charlemagne () is located in the Marais quarter of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, the capital city of France. Constructed many centuries before it became a lycée, the building originally served as the home of the Order of the Je ...

, 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, a Christian monk in Egypt in the 3rd-4th century.

Madame de Sévigné Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution) Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement ...

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), When reduced without charcoal, it gave off an air which supported respiration and combustion in an enhanced way. He concluded that this was just a pure form of common air and that i ...

was an important patron of the church, until he was guillotined in 1794 during the French Revolution. Plan de Paris vers 1550 rue St-Paul

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 (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...

. The old cemetery behind the church contained the remains of prominent figures, including

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

, and the architect

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

. 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 Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

, rather than Paul the Hermit. A portion of the old wall still remains, next to the Lycée.

17th century -the new church

In 1580 the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

established their first house in Paris, and constructed a chapel dedicated to

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

, 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 of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

. 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. The name of his ancestor,

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

, was added to the name of the church. The architect of the new church was the Jesuit priest Étienne 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 new

.Dumoulin, "Eglises de Paris", (2010), p. 82 The plan is inspired by the Chiesa del Gesù in Rome. The first mass was celebrated in the new building on 9 May 1641 (the feast of the Ascension) by

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

, with the oremuses pronounced by Bossuet. The famous Jesuit preacher

Louis Bourdaloue Louis Bourdaloue (20 August 1632 – 13 May 1704) was a French Jesuit and preacher. Biography Louis Bourdaloue was born in Bourges where his father practiced law. He began his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Sainte-Marie in Bourges. In Novem ...

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. 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'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of ...

. The Jesuit priests became the confessors or "directors of conscience" of the Kings of France.

Jean-Jacques Olier Jean-Jacques Olier, S.S. (20 September 1608 – 2 April 1657) was a French Catholic priest and the founder of the Sulpicians. He also helped to establish the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal, which organized the settlement of a new town ca ...

(founder of the Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice) was baptised in the church on 20 September 1608 and

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 André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several '' trag ...

and

Louis Marchand Louis Marchand (2 February 1669 – 17 February 1732) was a French organist, harpsichordist and composer. Born into an organist's family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French virtuosos of ...

. Jacques de Létin painted ''The Death of Saint Louis'' for the church, which can still be seen here.

18th-19th century

In 1762, after a dispute with the King, the Jesuits were expelled from France by the

Parlement of Paris The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...

. The church was transferred to another religious order, the Congregation of France, or Génofévains, whose headquarters was at the

Abbey of Saint Genevieve The Abbey of Saint Genevieve (French: ''Abbaye Sainte-Geneviève'') was a monastery in Paris. Reportedly built by Clovis I, Clovis, King of the Franks in 502, it became a centre of religious scholarship in the Middle Ages. It was suppressed at the ...

. 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. During the French Revolution, on 2 September 1792, 5 priests were killed in the church during the

September Massacres The September Massacres were a series of killings and summary executions of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792 from 2 September to 6 September during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by ''sans-culottes'' ...

. They are commemorated with a plaque. The church was closed and turned into a storehouse and a temple of the Cult of Reason and the Supreme Being before being restored to Catholicism in 1802 under the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...

. 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 City. The church also displays ''La vierge del Douleur'' by

Germain Pilon Germain Pilon (c. 1525 – 3 February 1590)Connat & Colombier 1951; Thirion 1996. was a French Renaissance sculptor. He is, along with Jean Goujon, one of the most important sculptors of the French Renaissance. Best known as the creator of ma ...

(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 (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

of 1871.

Exterior

The façade was clearly influenced by the new Italian

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, particularly the

Church of the Gesù The Church of the Gesù (, ), officially named (), is a church located at Piazza del Gesù in the Pigna (rione of Rome), Pigna ''Rioni of Rome, rione'' of Rome, Italy. It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (best known as Jesuits). Wi ...

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 Baroque architecture, French classical style and was a major influence on François Mansart. ...

, 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 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 o ...

. 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.Dumoulin, "Églises de Paris", p. 83 (2010) 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 of

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

and Val-de-Grace. 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

Interior

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 (), 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 at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

(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 was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. The architectural historian André Chastel 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 Carlo Maderno or Maderna (1556 – 31 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, Switzerland, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica, and Sant ...

The white marble high altar was moved and rebuilt under

Louis-Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his thron ...

with fragments from Napoleon's tomb at

. On 15 February 1843,

Léopoldine Hugo Léopoldine Cécile Marie-Pierre Catherine Hugo (; 28 August 1824 – 4 September 1843) was the eldest daughter of Victor Hugo and Adèle Foucher. Early life Léopoldine was born in Paris, the second of five children and eldest daughter of Vic ...

secretly married Charles Vacquerie in the church. At the entrance of the church are the two clam-shell holy water vessels, donated by her father

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

to 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. 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:Intérieur de l'église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis à Paris le 30 septembre 2016 - 01.jpg, Seashell benetier donated by Victor Hugo

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

(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 Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

(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

(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 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

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 Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

, 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 music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...

, 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 church buildings in France