Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles de Paris

The church on the map by Olivier Truschet and Germain Hoyaux (1551-52)

In the 12th century, a small chapel dedicated to Saint Gilles, a hermit or monk in the Rhone Valley in the 6th century, occupied the site, within the Monastery of Saint-Maggiore, and close to the royal road that led from Paris to the Basilica of Saint-Denis. In 1235 construction began of a new church independent of the monastery, dedicated to Saint Gilles and later also to Saint Lupus of Troyes, or Saint Leu, who was credited at the time with saving Troyes from an attack by Atilla the Hun.[3]

As the population of the neighborhood grew, the church was rebuilt in 1319, and underwent several major renovations and modifications, notably in 1611, 1727, and 1780, when an underground chapel was added.[4] It was closed and badly damaged during the French Revolution, when it was turned into a storehouse for food. It was returned to the church in 1802 under Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Boulevard de Sébastopol was constructed behind the church by then-President and future Emperor Napoleon III, resulting in the demolition of three chapels and the apse. A renovation was carried out by architects Étienne-Hippolyte Godde and Victor Baltard. The church was closed and damaged again during the Paris Commune in 1871, but was restored.

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  Towers, facade and portal
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  Apse of church viewed from Avenue Sevastopol
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  West Portal on Rue Saint-Denis
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  Portal with sculpture

The facade on Rue Saint-Denis is distinguished by two high towers, but the rest of the exterior is difficult to see because of the narrow streets. The outer aisles of the nave and choir were added later, and probably replaced earlier external buttresses. The apse of the church was considerably shortened in the 19th century and three chapels were removed to make space for the new boulevard built by Napoleon III.[8]

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  The nave looking toward the choir
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  The pulpit in the Nave
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  The choiir and altar
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  The nave and the great organ

The church is built in the Gothic style of the 14th century. This was a period of economic hardship, political conflict, and an outbreak of the black death, or plague in Paris. As a consequence the interior of the church was more austere than earlier or later Gothic churches in Paris.The church's single nave counts numerous stained-glass windows. It is flanked by aisles, but the church has no transept. pl The church did not originally have collateral aisles and chapels, which were added in the 16th century. It most likely had external buttresses placed where the collateral aisles are today. The four-part Gothic rib vaults over the nave transfer the weight of the roof downward and outwards to rows of columns, which form arcades with pointed arches.[9]

The present choir, the area of the church where the clergy worship, was constructed in 1611 after a large crypt was built underneath the church. The choir in the Renaissance style, blended with rib vaults and other Gothic elements.[10]

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  Window of the Apostles
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  Detail of the Apostles window- St. Andrew (top) and Saint Simon
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  Sacred Heart Window
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  Detail of the Sacred Heart window by Henri Chaban
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  "The Creation" window
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  "Adam and Eve in the "Creation" window

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  "The Tree of Jesse" window
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  Detail of the "Tree of Jesse" window: A King of the Old Testament
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  "Window of the Archangel Michael" - Angels sounding trumpets
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  Saint Genevieve praying for the defenders of Paris against the Huns

The stained glass windows date to the 19th century, between about 1861 and 1869. They were made by Eugène-Stanislas Oudinot (1827–1889), Prosper Lafaye and Paul Nicod. The windows were damaged during the Paris Commune, but were restored by Henri Chabin between 1875 and 1881.

The disambulatory of the church displays an unusual art treasure; a retable with three bas-reliefs made of alabaster, depicting scenes from the life of Christ. They were created in Nottingham, England and date to the 15th century. They illustrate "The Last Supper", "The Kiss of Judas", 'and 'The Flagelation of Christ". They are made in a small format, designed for display in private oratories and in the altar pieces and retables of churches. According to tradition, these sculptures were originally located in Holy Innocents' Cemetery in Paris, the largest cemetery in Paris until the end of the 18th century.[14]

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  The main organ, on the tribune over the entrance
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  Choir Organ, behind the altar.

The church's main organ dates to shortly before 1603.[15] It was enlarged between 1637 and 1659 by Guy Jolly, giving it three keyboards and a set of pedals for a total of 27 stops. A fourth keyboard and pedals were added in 1671.

The major part of the present organ was built by François-Henri Clicquot between 1786 and 1783. bringing the number of stops to twenty-eight. It was modified again by Louis Suret in 1855; he preserved most of the Clicquot organ, giving it five keyboards, one new, and an additional three to five stops. The next work was done in 1911 and 1912 by Mutin[16]

The present instrument has three keyboards and a set of pedals, for a total of twenty-five stops.[17] It was protected as an object of historical significance in 1915, and underwent further restoration in 1983[18]

A smaller organ is located in the choir, behind the altar.

• List of historic churches in Paris

• Website of the church (in French)
• Description of protected objects in church from French Ministry of Culture

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles (Paris).

• Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle; Églises de Paris (2017), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, ISBN 978-2-7072-0683-1 (in French)

48.8629°N 2.3500°E / 48.8629; 2.3500