Paris and northern France :: :: University of Virginia Library

Of the churches mentioned at p. 103 the four following are
situated in the S. quarter of the city, on the l. bank of the
Seine. In these also the three styles of architecture observable
in all the Parisian churches will be remarked: St. Sulpice,
modern style; St. Étienne du Mont, late Gothic and Renaissance;
St. Germain des Prés, early Gothic; Ste. Clotilde, the first attempt
at modern Gothic in Paris.

*St. Sulpice, a short distance to the N. W. of the Palais du
Luxembourg, is the most important and the richest of these
churches. Its proportions are strikingly grand. It was commenced
in 1646, but not completed until a century later. The form of
the church is a cross, 432 ft. in length, 174 ft. in breadth, 100 ft.
in height; the interior consists of a nave and two aisles which
surround the choir also. The façade is open to criticism and the
towers are not symmetrical.

On the W. side the church is approached by a flight of steps,
intersected by the projecting bases of the Doric pillars of the
portico At the entrance are placed as receptacles for holy water
two remarkably large shells (tridachna gigas), which rest on rock-work
of marble, designed by Pigalle.

The principal objects of interest are the frescoes in the chapels.
R. *1st Chapel on the S. side: 1. Jacob wrestling with the Angel;
2. Balthazar ejected from the Temple; on the cupola, St. Michael
conquering Satan; all by Eug. Delacroix.

*2nd Chapel: 1. Religion solacing a dying man; 2. Efficacy of
prayer for the dead; by Heim.

3rd Chapel; 1. St Roch praying for the cessation of the
plague; 2. Death of the saint in the prison of Montpellier; on
the ceiling his Apotheosis; executed by Abel de Pujol in 1821.

4th Chapel: Scenes from the life of St. Maurice, painted by
Vinchon in 1822.

5th Chapel: Marble monument of the pastor Lenglet (d. 1750),
by Michael Sloodtz

1st lateral Chapel on the N. side: 1. St. François Xavier
resuscitating a corpse; 2. Miraculous cure of sick persons past
whom the saint's remains are carried; by Lason.

2nd Chapel: 1. St. François de Sales preaching in Savoy,
2. Ste. Chantal receiving from the saint statutes of a new
order of nuns; painted by Hesse in 1860.

3rd Chapel: St. Paul's Conversion and his announcement of
the resurrection before the Areopagus at Athens, painted by
Drolling in 1850.

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4th Chapel: St. Vincent de Paul recommending foundlings to
the care of sisters of charity; the saint at the deathbed of
Louis XIII., executed by Guillemot in 1825.

1st Chapel on the N. side of the choir: Triumph and Martyrdom
of St. John, two frescoes painted by Glaize in 1859.

1st Chapel on the S. side of the choir: St. Denis preaching
to the heathen Romans and his Condemnation to death, both by
Jobbé-Duval in 1859.

The pulpit, which is supported by the staircase alone, is adorned
with figures of Faith, Hope and Charity. The organ is
richly carved and is externally the finest in Paris.

The Baptistery in the N. aisle contains a fine stained glass
window representing the Marriage of the Virgin.

The statues of St. Paul and St. John by the sacristy are by
Pradier, those of the twelve apostles on the piers of the choir
transepts by Bouchardon.

The handsome square in front of the church is adorned by
the Fontaine St. Sulpice, designed by Visconti and erected in
1847. It consists of three concentric basins, one above the other,
over the highest of which in niches are placed statues of the
four most celebrated preachers in France: Bossuet (d. 1704),
Fénélon (d. 1715), Massillon (d. 1742) and Fléchier (d. 1710).

The Place St. Sulpice is one of the most animated omnibus
stations. A flower-market is held here on Mondays and Thursdays.

The long edifice on the S. side of the Place is the Séminaire
de St. Sulpice, for the education of priests. — In the vicinity
is the Marché St. Germain, see p. 18.

*St. Étienne du Mont, at no great distance from the Pantheon,
is internally an extremely interesting edifice, but externally
presents a singular mixture of different architectural styles;
the W. façade is partly Gothic, partly Italian. The church is believed
to have been founded about the beginning of the 12th cent.;
in the 13th cent. the square tower with the circular turret at
the side was probably erected; in 1537 the greater portion of
the edifice was rebuilt, and in 1610 the W. portal was erected
by Margaret Valois, first consort of Henry IV.

The interior consists of a nave and two aisles, the latter unusually
lofty; the columns are connected half way up by arches
which support a narrow gallery. The rich and elaborate decorations
belong to the latest Gothic style, shortly before the transition
to the Renaissance. The lofty vaulting is supported by
graceful round columns from which spring the ribs terminating
in imposts. The choir is separated from the nave by a *Lectorium
(screen) of the most exquisite workmanship; round the pillars
wind two light and graceful spiral staircases, which ascend to
the galleries.

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The S. aisle, contiguous to the choir, contains the Tomb of
Ste. Geneviève (d. about 500), the patron saint of Paris. The
sarcophagus is said to be the original depository of the remains
of the saint, but is evidently a work of the 13th cent. The
chapel containing it is gorgeously painted and gilded in the Byzantine
style.

A chapel on the same side, the 5th from the entrance, contains
a life-size Entombment of Christ, in stone.

The Pulpit, designed by Lahire, is borne by a Samson and
adorned with elegant statuettes.

Most of the paintings are of the 18th cent.: the S. chapels,
however, contain some fine modern works by Grenier, Abel de
Pujol, Aligny and Caminade. The stained glass dates from 1568.

The aisles contain two fine pictures presented by the city of
Paris: S., the Genius of France with the Parliament interceding
with Ste. Geneviève for the cessation of a famine: N., the Prévôt
des Marchands and civic dignitaries; both executed at the end
of the 17th cent. by Largillière, the greatest portrait-painter of
his time.

On marble tablets are inscribed the names of several illustrious
personages interred in this church, among others Pascal
(d. 1662) and Racine (d. 1699). On January 3rd, 1857, Archbishop
Sibour was here assassinated by an ex-priest.

St. Germain des Prés, Rue Bonaparte, situated a short distance
to the S. of the École des Beaux Arts, is the most ancient
church in Paris, and to antiquarians an object of great interest.
The original edifice was dedicated in 557 and appertained to a
monastery, the most ancient in Paris, founded through the advice
of St. Germain, Bishop of Paris, by Childebert I. about the year
551. The monastery and church were almost entirely destroyed
by the Normans in the 9th cent.; at the close of the 10th cent.
the construction of the present edifice was commenced, and in
1163 completed. The basement portion is Romanesque, the upper
part Gothic. A view of the W. portal only can be obtained, the
three other sides being enclosed by narrow streets.

In 1789, on the outbreak of the revolution, the church was
secularized and converted into a saltpetre manufactory; in 1794
it was seriously damaged by an explosion; under Charles X. it
was once more used as a place of worship, and in 1836 the
restoration was completed. The gorgeous style in which the
interior has recently (1852—1856) been painted and gilded is
an imitation of the ancient decorations of the abbey-church.

The large frescoes on a gold ground in the choir are by
Flandrin, on the N. side Christ entering Jerusalem, on the S. side
Christ bearing the Cross; over the arches the twelve apostles and
the emblems of the evangelists, the Angel, Lion, Ox and Eagle.

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The windows of the choir are filled with modern stained glass,
representing Christ, the Virgin and the apostles.

The frieze of the nave is also decorated with a series of fine
frescoes by Flandrin, representing biblical subjects, so arranged
that there are two compartments over each arch, one containing
a subject from the Old, the other from the New Testament.

The S. transept contains a handsome marble monument of the
Castellan family, dating from the latter half of the 17th cent.
The chapel in the choir, contiguous to the sacristy, is the burialplace
of James, Duke of Douglas (d. 1645). The following
chapel contains memorial tablets of black marble which record
the names of several illustrious men of letters interred here:
Mabillon (d. 1707), Descartes (d. 1650) and Montfaucon (d. 1641).

The Chapel of Our Lady behind the high altar is a modern
structure, adorned with the Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation
in the Temple, by Abel de Pujol. The Chapel of St. Paul
contains a tablet in memory of the poet Boileau, whose heart was
transferred hither from the Sainte Chapelle in 1819. The adjoining
chapel contains another monument of the Douglas family.

The N. aisle contains the tomb of Casimir V. (d. 1672), king
of Poland, who, at first a Jesuit and cardinal, succeeded his
brother in 1648 on the Polish throne. In 1668 he abdicated,
and resuming his ecclesiastical garb became Abbot of St. Germain
des Prés.

*Ste. Clotilde, Place Bellechasse, Faubourg St. Germain, near
the Palais du Corps Législatif, is one of the newest churches in
Paris, having been commenced in 1846 at the instance of Queen
Amélie. It is a chapel of ease to the church of St. Thomas
d'Aquin, the insignificant parish church of this wealthy and
aristocratic quarter of the city, and was completed in 1857 at
a cost of 8 million fr.

Ste. Clotilde, the first new church (300 ft. long, 100 ft.
broad, 80 ft. high) in Paris of the Gothic style, is well situated
in an open space. Two towers rise above the N. portal, which
contains three entrances. The interior is remarkable for its dignified
simplicity, being decorated with marble-reliefs only. The
magnificent stained-glass windows, especially those of the choir,
effectually soften and subdue the light. The frescoes of the
five chapels of the choir are by Picot, those of the two chapels
in the transepts by Lehmann, those in the Baptistery and
Burial Chapel by Delaborde. The sculptures are by Pradier,
Duret, Guillaume, Triqueti, Paul Gayrand, Lequèsne etc., the
stained glass by Maréchal, Hesse, Lamotte and Chancel. The
stalls in the choir are masterpieces of carving.