In the plan to maintain the cultural heritage of the City of
Paris, this organ is among the four prestigious and
emblematic instruments, classified as Historic Monuments,
requiring a fundamental restoration.
Restoration issues
Built in 1771 by François-Henri Clicquot in a buffet dating
from 1757, reusing part of the piping of the earlier
instrument, the organ of the Church of SaintGermain-
l'Auxerrois was, before the Revolution, in the Sainte-
Chapelle. It was transferred in 1791 and its integration
into this new building was the subject of much debate.
The instrument underwent expansion work by Pierre
and François Dallery in 1792, followed by further
transformations in 1813, 1826 and 1840 by the Dallerys,
then in 1850 by Ducroquet, in 1865, 1881 and 1900 by
Merklin and in 1981 by Adrien Maciet. He never knew a
state that could be described as definitive.
Paradoxically, the prestige of the Saint-Germain-
l'Auxerrois church, parish of the kings of France, the
fame of Clicquot, the innovative design of the buffet and
the richness of its stylistic evolution, make this organ one
of the most interesting in the capital. To stop the
inevitable degradation of the organ, a conservatory
operation was carried out by the City of Paris in 2008
and entrusted to the builder Laurent Plet. With the
partial removal of the piping, an inventory was carried
out as part of a preliminary study carried out by
Christian Lutz, a technician-counsel for the State.
The eventful history of the instrument today gives us a
great heterogeneity of heritage elements and makes the
definition of a future restoration complex. Long desired
by the organists of the last third of the twentieth century,
the return to the Clicquot organ can hardly be envisaged
because there are too few components of the organ of
1771 and one would lose a lot to subtract the more
recent elements of a certain quality.
In a desire to preserve all the old material in the organ
and to identify a real musical personality, two
possibilities will be presented to the National
Commission of Historic Monuments which will arbitrate
on the final program:
•
The return to the composition of Merklin of 1881
•
A somewhat "classicized" composition
Expected work time: 24 months
Call to Patronage: 1140,000 euros, exclusive the costs
related to the project management, which will be borne by
the City of Paris.
Source
Saint Germain
l'Auxerrois 1 - 2
2, Place du Louvre, 75001 Paris
Orgue de tribune
1771 - FH Clicquot/P Dallery
1791 – CF Clicquot/F Dallery
1809/23/41 - Dallery
1848 - Ducroquet
1864 - Merklin
1900 - Gutschenritter
1970/80 - Adrien Maciet
2008 - Laurent Plet
Photos organ: Jeroen de Haan
Since September 1, 2019, this Church is the home
of the liturgy of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Organiste titulaire
Michael Matthes
Famous organists in the past:
Louis-Claude Daquin (around 1738),
Alexandre Boëly (1840-1851)
Concerts
Seldom
Masses with organ
Saturday 6.30 p.m. Sunday 10, 11:30
a.m.; 5:45 (vespers) and 6:30 p.m.
Videos
Michael Matthes
Saint-Germain-de-l'Auxerrois was the former parish of
the kings of France. It was founded in the 7th century
and rebuilt several times, giving mixtures of several
styles (Roman, Gothic and Renaissance). During the
Wars of Religion, the souding of its bell marked the
beginning of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,
when thousands of Huguenots were murdered. The
north tower was added in 1860 as part of the Mairie of
the 1st Arrondissement.
The organ was built by Francois-Henri Clicquot for the
Sainte-Chapelle, using the case of Lavergne, designed by
Pierre-Noël Rousset (1757). It was transferred to Saint-
Germain-de-l'Auxerrois in 1791 and parts of at least two
other instruments were incorporated in the newly
assembled organ at that time. In the 19th century, the
diapasons were modified by Dallery, Ducroquet (under
the influence of Boëly) and Merklin, but its classical
grand jeu survived. Indeed, most reeds date from before
the revolution, although the cromorne of the positive
was added some 30 years ago (replacing a historic reed).
At that time, a new tierce was added too (replacing the
Salicional 4 of Ducroquet).
In the period 1995-2005 the organ was completely out of
order, but in 2005-2008 works were carried out to make
the organ playable again, without any change in the
historic materials . A study by Christian Lutz should form
the basis for choosing a strategy for a thorough
restauration of this unique instrument.
21 out of the 33 stops date from before the revolution.
Similar to the organs at St. Roch and St. Laurent, this organ
has two faces: a classical face and a 19th century-face.
Boëly on the organ of Saint-Germain-
l’Auxerrois
Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, 1900
photo of R. Fallou -
book dating to 1927 of Félix Raugel