The grand organ of Saint‑Bernard‑de‑la‑Chapelle and the choir organ were both built by the renowned builder Aristide Cavaillé‑Coll. Inaugurated in January 1863, this instrument belongs to a series of organs built in the late 1850s and early 1860s, alongside the grand organs of Sainte‑Clotilde in Paris (inaugurated in 1859), Saint‑Sulpice in Paris (inaugurated in 1862), and Notre‑Dame‑de‑Paris (inaugurated in 1868). From a technical and stylistic point of view, they are quite similar, even though their scales (number of stops, size of the instruments, and so on) and especially the size and importance of the churches are very different. Unlike the others, however, the Saint‑Bernard organ has never been deeply modernized or extensively restored. After 1966, the year of the last organiste titulaire’s death and the end of its regular use, the instrument received only minimal maintenance, which has left it with a very rare degree of authenticity. The only significant changes it has undergone since its construction are the 15 bass pipes of the 4′ octave of the Great Organ and the lowest octave of the Great‑Organ bombarde, which originally sounded at eight‑foot pitch from the Great‑Organ manuals. It received only one major maintenance in the year 1930. 1945–1960 Two changes to the instrument’s Stoplist by Robert Masset (Ets. Gutschenritter): On the Great‑Organ manual, the 4′ Octave is moved and transformed into a 1 3/5′ Tierce. The first octave of the Bombarde, originally 8′, is changed to 16′ (the speaking fronts are, however, preserved). Overhauls 1981 A consolidation of five pipes in the central turret (Montre 16′), with a temporary securing by Barbéris. 2003 By Bernard Cogez. 2007 By Bernard Dargassies. 2018 The engine was replaced, followed by a cleaning and dusting‑down. 2019 Tuning was carried out, together with restoration/maintenance of the 16′ façade. 2020 The organ underwent a mechanical restoration in 2020 by Yves Fossaert. The 4′ octave stop on the Great‑Organ manual, which had been moved to a Tierce around 1950, was restored to its original 4′ octave stop. Inauguration du Grand Orgue de l’église Saint-Bernard de la chapelle, 1963

The construction of St-Bernard-de-la-Chapelle started in 1858, just before the annexation of the commune of La Chapelle by Paris in 1860. The church was designed by the architect Auguste‑Joseph Magne in a Gothic style, with an initially flat façade that was later extended by a porch offered by the city of Paris when La Chapelle was incorporated into the capital. This façade features a porch in flamboyant style, enhanced with arched braces and supported by buttresses. A steeple with a spire 60 meters high dominates the building. The church was consecrated in 1861.