Sainte Odile
2, avenue Stéphane-Mailaumé, 75017 Paris
Orgue de tribune
1948 - Rochesson (Beuchet-Debierre)
1995 - Birouste
Orgue de la chapelle de semaine
183x - John Abbey
I/3 - mechanical traction
Clavier (C-f
3
)
Bourdon 8’, Dulciane 8’, Prestant 4’
Pédalier C-d
1
)
En tirasse.
Organiste titulaire
Bruno Guilois
Famous organists in the past: Naji Hakim ,
Joachim Havard de la Montagne.
Concerts
seldom
Masses with organ
Saturday at 6pm, Sunday at 9.30am
(extraordinary form), 11.15am and 7pm.
Vidéos
-
The church was built by Jacques Barge
(1904-1979)from 1935 to 1946 at the
initiative of Bishop Eugene-Edmond Loutil
(1863-1959) to pay tribute to the patron
saint of his native Alsace. With three domes
reminiscent of the Cathedral of Périgueux
and the famous Basilica of St. Sophia of
Constantinople, Jacques Barge opted for a
mix of Roman-Byzantine style and Art Deco
elements. The building is made of reinforced
concrete covered with Saverne sandstone
and pink bricks. On the left of the nave, the
three side chapels - very stripped down - are
fortunately illuminated by the large glass
roof of 300m2 of François Décorchemont
(1880-1971). This canopy, divided into three
bays, is regarded as one of the masterpieces
of glass art in the 20th century. For a long
time Sainte Odile was the Alsatian Catholic
parish in Paris.
The organ was built by the Maison Beuchet-
Debierre shortly after the Second World War. It
replaced an Abbey organ of which very little is
known about its provenance. Beuchet-Debierre
incorporated part of the organ of the mansion of
the Dujarric de la Rivière family located in Boulogne-
Billancourt, which the parish had bought a few
years earlier. Given the financial budget and the size
of the tribune (which was enlarged to accommodate
the organ), the entire piping was not reinstalled, but
was carefully preserved.
The instrument was completed in 1953 and
inaugurated by Jean Langlais. In 1995 the
instrument was enlarged by Daniel Birouste. The
latter modified the console and some stops were re-
harmonized to evolve the organ into the neo-
baroque aesthetic.
In 2021, the set of bells that had been sold to St
Joseph des Epinettes (17th arrondissement) was
bought by the parish and incorporated into the
organ.
Currently a project to rebuild the instrument to
highlight the Dujarric organ and the aesthetics of
the 1930s is being studied.
Organ of the week chapel
In 2021, the parish received a small John Abbey
organ that is said to date from the 1830s. It is one of
the first organs of this builder who was then still
established at 319 rue St Denis.
The instrument is entirely expressive, but the
expression seems to be later than its construction.
The keyboards are retractable when closing the
console.
Photoseries of the church and the organs: Victor Weller