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

III/32 - mechanical traction (Barker GO) - stoplist

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.