Sainte-Marie-

des-Batignolles

77, place du docteur Félix Dolgéris, 75017 Paris

Even in the 19th century, the area now known as Paris consisted of a series of small towns in the countryside, apart from medieval Paris itself. In 1824, the village of Batignolles had five thousand inhabitants and depended on Clichy. It was decided to build a church, and a subscription was launched. The small amount raised only allowed the construction of a chapel, completed in 1829. But the population kept growing, and the chapel was enlarged by Paul‑Eugène Lequeux (1806–1873). Respecting the Latin cross layout, he added the two side aisles, the transept and the choir, completed in 1851. The building is inspired by the ancient Roman basilica, and its porch resembles that of a Greek temple. The interior bears the mark of churches built under the Restoration: Sainte‑Marie‑des‑Batignolles is a sober, almost severe church. Fortunately, a flat ceiling with painted compartments and a superb 19th‑century choir with a magnificent sculpted retable soften this sobriety and enhance the building.

C5 In the second half of the nineteenth century, the church of Sainte-Marie des Batignolles had a large Stoltz organ (36 stops), which operated until July 1912. The First World War halted all reconstruction projects. During the unavailability of this instrument, it is the accompanying organ, installed in the choir, which is used. It is a 16-stop Merklin, built around 1880. tIt was transferred in 1918 to Saint-André d'Antin without being replaced. 1923 A new great organ was built in the tribune on the reverse of the main façade by Mutin-Cavaillé-Coll. 1936 The organ underwent a complete overhaul by Gloton- Debierre. 1947 A restoration and transformation was carried out by the same factory (now Beuchet-Debierre): several modifications are made, steering the instrument’s tonal palette towards a neo‑classical aesthetic with changes in the stoplist: Terciane on the Positif, change of the Plein Jeu GO. Regularly maintained for twenty years, it then deteriorated rapidly: in 1982, it was completely unusable. 1991-1994 Dargassies completely restored it, adding seven stops*. He kept the best of Mutin, but replaced the demilength Bombarde 16 Pédale with a full‑length one, and the Terciane with a plain Tierce. The high‑pressure Montre 8 on the Great had been very badly damaged, so he replaced those pipes. The question arose with the Salicional 8 on the Positif, as a Doublette was desired in order to complete the Tierce mixture. After much discussion and considering different opinions, the Doublette was finally chosen. It should be noted that the pipes of the Salicional were kept, so the operation remains reversible. The Tuba on the Great was sounding very dull and was replaced by a classical Trompette made of fine tin. The heavily altered Plein Jeu was replaced by a new four‑rank one. The pneumatic pedal action was converted to electric. Dargassies aimed to preserve the Mutin aesthetic, especially with this large and impressive symphonic Récit. The foundations of the Great and Positif are strongly symphonic, while the mutation stops are balanced within the overall sound, without betraying the instrument’s identity. The Great Plein Jeu is rather classical but not sharp; that was a unanimous choice. 2011 Dargassies restored the wind supply. *thanks to Mr Bernard Dargassies for these informations.

Titular organist Simon Prunet-Foch Famous organists in the past: André Messager, Henti Busser (titulaires de l’ancien orgue Stoltz), Joseph Bonnet, Joachim Havard de la Montagne. Parish website Videos Simon Prunet-Foch Photos of the pipes Photos Organ: Jeroen de Haan Church: Vincent Hildebrandt