The organs of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, Paris I

Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles 92 bis, rue Saint-Denis, 75001 Paris

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Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, right in the heart of Paris, dates back to the 13th century (1230). It's one of the few religious buildings from that era, standing along the old Roman road (rue Saint-Denis) toward Saint-Denis, Pontoise, and Rouen—later the triumphant route for royal entries into the capital. When the Saint-Gilles chapel got too small in the 14th century, the current Saint-Leu church was built (1310), hence the double dedication. Due to the Boulevard de Sébastopol cutting through, the chancel was shortened by 5 meters and three chapels demolished mid-19th century. Victor Baltard restored it, adding side chapels plus a tower and clock (1858). The nave is Gothic, the chancel Renaissance. Since 1928, it's been entrusted to the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

A1 The Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles organ was built in 1788 by François- Henri Clicquot. It reused parts of an earlier organ by Guy Jolly (1658-1659), which had expanded a pre-1603 instrument modified by Mathieu Langhedul (1603) and Pierre Pescheur (1619). The central section of the large case survives from that era. Jolly added the Rückpositiv. At that point, it had 3 manuals, pedal, and 25 stops. In 1671, Enocq reworked it again—adding a fourth manual, extending the pedal compass, and changing 10 stops—bringing it to 4 manuals and 28 stops without altering its core sound. 1788 François-Henri Clicquot left a deep mark on the Saint-Leu- Saint-Gilles organ. He added concave wings to the great organ case. Apart from reusing part of the buffet, he likely replaced all the pipework and action. 1867 Organ builder Suret modified it: • Added an expressive manual with 6 stops (but only speaking on part of the compass). • Removed the Récit and Echo manuals. • Altered stoplists (e.g., removed 3-4 Positif stops to add two 8' stops and move the Oboe to the new Récit expressif). • Updated the console keyboards for easier playing. Still, Suret kept most of Clicquot's action (including sliders) and much of the original pipework. 1911-1912 • Mutin worked on it, likely repairing Commune de Paris damage (some stops lost?) and making adaptations: • Installed a large German pedalboard, new pedal couplers, and combination treadle. • Added two new Grand-Orgue stops: acoustic Bassoon 16' and harmonic Trumpet 8'. • Several toeboards remain empty due to 1871 looting. 1920 Béasse made further tweaks in the early 1920s. Throughout the 20th century, it saw no major work and slowly deteriorated. On its last legs by 1967, it suffered severe fire damage in 1974—what flames and heat didn't destroy was likely ruined by water and extinguishers. Since then, it's been unplayable. The organ includes 14 pre-Revolution stops (11 complete, 3 partial), 9-10 by Suret, and 2 by Mutin. Original Clicquot pipework: 65%. An association was founded in 2012 to raise funds for a restoration, which is scheduled for the coming years (set aside that still 650.000 euros have to be found to finance this project). Site of the organ Brochure

In the plan to maintain the cultural heritage of the City of Paris, this organ is among the four prestigious and emblematic instruments, classified as Historic Monuments, requiring a fundamental restoration. Restoration issues The first known interventions of organ builders in Saint- Leu-Saint-Gilles date back to 1619: the organ builder Pescheur then modified and enlarged the original organ but retained its buffet: the instrument was still modest in size with a keyboard and a pedal ‘en tirasse’. In the mid- 17th century, it is certain that the instrument was no longer sufficient for the new musical repertoire of the time and the needs of the liturgy. As early as 1637, the organ builder Jolly carried the instrument almost to the dimensions that we know it today by adding a Positive. In 1659, the organ consisted of 27 stops. In 1671, Enocq added a fourth keyboard, expanded the scope of the pedal and changed ten stops, but did not fundamentally alter the sound characteristics. François-Henri Clicquot's intervention deeply marks the instrument since most of the mechanics, more than 60% of the piping and an important part of the buffet can be attributed to him. Suret modified the Clicquot organ without distorting it in 1855, among others: the addition of an expressive keyboard, the consequent removal of the Récit and Echo keyboards, the modification of the Stoplist of certain keyboards and the change of the keyboards of the console... Mutin intervened in 1911-1912, probably to repair some damage that occurred during the Paris Commune and modernize the organ "to the taste of the day", among others: removal of the French pedal, reharmonization of the Plein Jeu, addition of harmonic reed stops. Unfortunately, in 1974, a fire caused extensive damage. Since then, it has been totally unplayable. The current condition of the instrument requires a major restoration: cleaning of the mechanics and piping, reconstruction of the missing pipes, complete restoration of the wind chests, repair of the console, resumption of power and treatment of the buffet. The preliminary study is to be carried out by a state consultant technician. Call to Patronage: 2,280,000 euros, exclusive the costs associated with the project management are added to this amount and will be borne by the City of Paris. Source

1603-1619-1659 - Mathieu Langhedul, Pierre Pescheur et Guy Jolly (1) 1788 - Clicquot (3) 1855 - Suret (5) 1912 - Mutin (5) 1920 - Béasse (6)

III/25 - mechanical traction

Stoplist

Silent since 1974

Organiste conservateur François Périllon Parish website Video Video de l’orgue actuel Photos Buffet : Jeroen de Haan Console & Eglise : Vincent Hildebrandt

The organs of Paris