Saint-Joseph-

des-épinettes

40, rue Pouchet, 75017 Paris

St-Joseph-des-Épinettes was built from 1909 to 1910 by architect Louis Thomas, with funding from the Goüin and Roland-Gosselin families of the Batignolles Construction Company, whose factories were located nearby. The bloodstained shirt of the young Hippolyte Debroise, who was murdered by anarchists during the Corpus Christi procession in Dugny in 1907, was placed in the church’s foundations during construction. The church was consecrated on May 26, 1910, by Bishop Amette, Archbishop of Paris.

E6 At the end of 1910, the parish acquired an old salon organ built by Cavaillé‑Coll, probably in 1898 for the salon of Countess Anna de Noailles. She sold it in 1905 to the Aviné family of Dreux (Eure‑et‑Loir) as a reward for their grandson, Émile – a pupil of Alexandre Guilmant and Louis Vierne – who had just won his first organ prize in 1904. The instrument was installed for several years in the home of the young organist in Gisors (Eure). Émile Aviné first served as assistant to Louis Vierne at Notre‑Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1904 to 1908, before obtaining his own position. When he settled permanently in Paris, he sold the organ to Saint‑Joseph‑des‑Épinettes parish for 6,000 francs. According to the National Inventory of Organs, this organ was in fact originally a salon organ built by Cavaillé‑Coll in 1880 for Samuel Rousseau, offered to him following his Organ Prize at the Paris Conservatory under Alexandre Guilmant. In the 1920s, Charles Mutin extensively rebuilt and enlarged the Saint‑Joseph organ. He reused several high‑quality elements, including sculptures from the façade of the choir organ of Saint‑Louis‑en‑l’Île, built between 1710 and 1720. The work included revoicing, enlargements, and various modifications. In 1944, Gloton‑Debierre carried out work involving the replacement of all pouches and renewal of the gaskets. In 1965, Erwin Muller worked on the wind system. Between 1983 and 1997, the instrument was radically modified by the local organist Philippe Guimard, who sought to adapt its design toward the French classical style. He placed a purely decorative façade in front of the old salon organ. From 2005 to 2014, the organ was rebuilt by the Flemish organ builder Gérard Pels d’Hondt, reusing the old case and parts of the original pipework. Additions included a trumpet en chamade, a divided cornet, a four‑rank Fourniture on the Grand‑Orgue, and a Zimbelstern. The instrument was also revoiced as part of the project. Brochure Pels d'Hondt