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The Church of Saint-Ferdinand-des-Ternes is named
after Crown Prince Ferdinand-Philippe of Orleans, who
died in an accident in 1842 at the age of 32. Queen
Amelie had already erected the Chapel of Saint-
Ferdinand on the site of the tragedy (it was completed
in 1843): it is the present church of Our Lady of
compassion. But a new shrine was built from 1842 to
1845, not far from the first, on the plans of the
architect Paul-Eugène Lequeux (1806-1873). In 1860,
the suburb called "Ternes" was attached to the city of
Paris. And in 1934, a new, larger church replaced the
old one. The plans are entrusted to architects Paul
Thédon, Frédéric Bertrand and Pierre Durand. They
chose the Roman-Byzantine style, influenced by
modernism. The building was completed in 1957.
Saint-Ferdinand is a splendid and vast church with
three domes, decorated with numerous paintings
(often in naïve style) made by artists designated by the
Fine Arts.
A1
In 1994 and 1995, Pascal QUOIRIN of Saint-Didier
(Vaucluse) built the current organ on a new tribune. It is
an instrument of classical French style but adapted to
the interpretation of a wider repertoire. The
transmissions are mechanical and the console is located
in the central window of the large buffet.
Source
The old church had a Cavaillé-Coll large organ, built in
1853. It was a 25-stop instrument with three keyboards
and a pedal, equipped with mechanical transmissions.
This organ was transferred to the new church in the
1950s.In 1963, it was restored by Beuchet-Debierre, who
electrified the transmissions and modified the voicing
into the neo-classical style. The upper buffet was
dismantled and sold to the church St Jean-Baptiste of
Montaigu (Vendée).
A second instrument of 14 stops on two keyboards and
a pedal was delivered by Cavaillé-Coll in December 1897
or January 1898 (Op 665). It was the former organ of the
Lamoureux Concerts of Paris, used as a choir organ.
This instrument was transferred in 1932 to Notre-Dame-
de-Lorette near Douai (Nord).
In 2009, the organ of the crypt was dismantled to be
restored and then reassembled in the church of
Vaux‑sur‑Seine (Yvelines).
Source
The former choir organ of Saint-Ferdinand-des-Ternes, now at the
chapelle Notre-Dame de Lorette, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire.
The upper buffet of the former Grand-orgue,
now at St Jean-Baptiste de Montaigu (Vendée).
The organs of Paris
ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt
