Saint-Germain-

des-Prés

1, place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 75006 Paris

Orgue de tribune OdC >

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, dating back to the 6th century, is Paris's oldest church. Originally, this former Benedictine abbey was founded by Childebert, son of Clovis. In the Middle Ages, the abbey was very powerful thanks to its thriving activities. The Normans destroyed it several times. The introduction of the Maurist reform in 1630 turned it into a major center of learning with international influence. But the French Revolution led to the suppression of all abbeys, and for Saint-Germain- des-Prés, the end came on February 13, 1792. The church then became a saltpeter factory, and worship was only restored on April 29, 1803. Since then, it has served solely as a parish church. Between 1821 and 1854, the church—badly damaged during the revolutionary period—was restored by architects Étienne-Hippolyte Godde and Victor Baltard. They kept just one of the three original Romanesque towers. Hippolyte Flandrin, a student of the classical master Ingres, was commissioned to paint the nave murals, which were recently restored. The current building is a fine example of Romanesque architecture, especially its tower and nave. The choir is Gothic. Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the oldest of Paris's major churches and remains at the heart of a lively, dynamic parish today.

A5 In 1805, the Saint-Germain parish acquired the organ from the Abbey of Saint-Victor. The previous organ by Pierre and Alexandre Thierry (1667) had been dismantled in 1798 and moved to Saint-Eustache, where it burned in 1844. 1679 The Abbey of Saint-Victor organ was built by Alexandre Thierry. 1759/1779 Major restoration by Louis-Alexandre and François-Henri Clicquot; the organ was overhauled and modernized by swapping out just a few stops. 1797 When the revolutionaries closed the abbey church, the organ was crated up and stored at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers. 1805–1810 It was installed at Saint-Germain-des-Prés between 1805 and 1810 by Antoine and Louis Somer. The case was rebuilt to fit the gallery and low vault of Saint-Germain, while largely preserving Thierry and Clicquot’s original pipework. 1829 It was overhauled by Louis Callinet (with a few new stops added). 1862 Jean-Baptiste Stoltz completely rebuilt it in 1862 within the large case, without a rear Positive division. Architect Baltard reconstructed the gallery. The symphonic-style organ had three manuals and pedal (47 stops), with the Positive placed behind the new Swell to make it expressive too. 1922–27 Joseph Gutschenritter rebuilt it entirely again, under the direction of André Marchal, who shifted its sound toward a neo-classical aesthetic. 1970–1973 A major restoration became essential due to the instrument’s worsening condition. Maison Haerpfer-Erman was commissioned to build a new organ in a French neo- classical style, incorporating 10 historic stops and restoring the rear Positive. 1991 Overhauled by Yves Fossaert. 2004–2005 Restored by Yves Fossaert. The Great manual’s case dates from 1810, the Positive’s from 1973. The statues atop the case are the only surviving remnants of the original Saint-Victor Abbey organ. Four stops come from the old Saint-Victor organ, 17 from the Somer organ, and 19 are new. This organ is unique in Paris: it’s built in a neo-classical style that favors French classical organ repertoire over German music, while still allowing symphonic works on the expansive Great Swell. The church has excellent acoustics. Read more (in French)

Titular organist Anne-Marie Blondel, Jean-Paul Serra Organistes célèbres ayant illustré l’instrument : Antoine Calvière, J.M. Beauvarlet-Charpentier, Augustin Barié, André Marchal, André Isoir. Parish website Vidéos Anne-Marie Blondel Jean Luc Ho Odile Bailleux (1986) (audio) Odile Bailleux (1986) (audio) Photos Buffet : Jeroen de Haan