Saint-Philippe-

du-Roule

154, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré ,75008 Paris

Gallery organ Choir organ >

Saint-Philippe-du-Roule was built between 1774 and 1784 on the site of a former chapel. The present building was designed by Jean-François Chalgrin in the style of the early Roman basilicas. Its architecture later became a model for many other Parisian churches, such as Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou, Notre-Dame-de- Lorette, Saint-Denis-du-Saint-Sacrement, and Notre- Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle. The church was later enlarged with an ambulatory and several chapels designed by Hippolyte Godde (1843–1847) and Baltard (1853). Its splendid axial chapel, known as the Virgin’s Chapel, richly adorned with paintings and gilding, could easily hold its own alongside the Palace of Versailles or the Louvre. The stained-glass windows on the lower level, in shades of blue, were created by Émile Hirsch (1832–1904), while those in the vaults are by Albert Maignan. Between 2019 and 2021, extensive restoration work was carried out on the roofs, timber structures, vaults, and coffered ceilings.

C3 Barely completed in 1784, the church did not yet have a large organ at the time of the Revolution. When the Jacobins’ church on Rue Saint-Honoré was closed down, the departmental administration transferred its organ to Saint- Philippe-du-Roule. The transfer was carried out by the builder Somer, but the work progressed slowly due to delays in finishing the gallery, and the instrument was not ready for use until 1799. After the Concordat, the organ was overhauled in 1809 by Pierre-François Dallery. It was first enlarged in 1834 by John Abbey, then completely rebuilt by Merklin in 1861. 1903 Charles Mutin installed a completely new organ with 37 stops, though he kept the Positif case, which became purely decorative. 1922 The instrument was cleaned, revoiced, and modified by Abbey father and son, under the supervision of Henri Mulet, then titular organist, who successfully applied his theory of rational Stoplist of full choruses. Additions included a 32’ Bourdon in the Pedal (these works were left unfinished and the stop is not playable at the console), a VI-rank Plein Jeu on the Grand Orgue, and a IV–V-rank Plein Jeu on the Récit. 1938 Overhaul by Jean Perroux and Jules Isambart. 1945–1948 The organ was cleaned and overhauled by Jacques Picaud. A general dusting took place, and on that occasion, the Plein Jeu of the Grand Orgue was reduced from VI ranks to IV ranks. 1990–1991 The instrument was completely rebuilt by the Maison Renaud, with a Dulciana and Piccolo added to the Positif. 2009 Further work was carried out by Fossaert/Pellerin & Uys. 2019–2021 During restoration works in the church, Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat undertook maintenance of the organ: • General cleaning of the instrument • Minor repairs • Activation of the 32’ Bourdon in the Pedal, installed at an unknown date and previously incomplete • Overall tuning of the instrument These heavy-duty works were carried out in collaboration with SAS Laurent Plet.

Titular organist Valérie Aujard-Catot Organiste célèbre ayant illustré l’instrument : Henri Mulet, Michel Boulnois Parish website Videos 2019-2022: Travaux de dépose et de repose partielle du Grand Orgue de tribune dans le cadre de travaux de restauration des toitures. Démontage et accord du grand orgue de l'église Saint- Philippe du Roule