Saint-Merri

Church of Saint-Merri in the 17th century

A small chapel, called Saint-Pierre-des-Bois, existed in what was then a clearing. In about 700 AD. Saint Merri was buried there.[3] Mederic, the future Saint Merri, was born in Autun in Burgundy, and is believed to have lived in the Benedictine Abbey there. He later went into the desert as a hermit. On his return, he moved to Paris, because he wished to live near the Tomb of Saint Symphorien, founder of the Abbey of Autun, which was within the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Pres in Paris. In 884 he was chosen as the patron saint of the Right Bank of Paris.[4] In about 890 Gozlin, the Bishop of Paris, had his remained exhumed, and a particularly rich reliquary created for him, The church was constructed to contain it. Gradually it became known simply as Saint Merri.[5]

As the neighbourhood grew into an important commercial district, the church became too small. A new church was built upon the same site in about 1200, but this also soon became too small. The present church was begun under King Francois I in about 1520, and finished in about 1560.[5] Though it was built in the middle of the Renaissance, it was built in the Flamboyant or late Gothic style.[4]

In the 18th century, the church was gradually modified with elements of the classical style. The jubé, or rood screen, between the nave and the choir was removed, and the Gothic pillars were recovered with marble or stucco. The deeply-colored stained glass in upper windows of the nave and choir was replaced by clear glass, The pulpit is by P. A. Slodtz and was made in 1753.[2] The bell tower contains one of the oldest bells in Paris, cast in 1331, which survived the French Revolution.[2]

From the 11th century onwards, Saint-Merry was closely associated with Notre Dame de Paris. All seven of the canons of the church came from the cathedral. It became known, along with three other churches, as the "Daughter" of Notre Dame, and is the only one still having that status today.[4]

The church was badly damaged during the French Revolution. The Chapter was abolished and the building became for a time a gunpowder factory. It was returned to the church in 1795, and served for a time as the "Temple of Commerce."[4] In 1832, It was again in the midst of barricade fighting during a republican uprising against the July Monarchy.[2]

The organ was reconstructed in 1781 by François-Henri Clicquot, the famous organ builder. It was played by Camille Saint-Saëns, who was organist of the church from 1853 to 1857.[6]

The church is now home to the Halles-Beaubourg Pastoral Centre.[2] It also is the base of Académie vocale de Paris, which performs concerts in the church every Saturday throughout the year.[7]

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  The flamboyant west portal
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  The mythical figure at the top of the west portal (19th c.)
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  Detail of west portal sculpture (19th c.)
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  The north facade and transept
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  The transept, competing with art from the Centre Pompidou
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  Flamboyant pinnacle and a whimsical gargoyle
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  Campanile (left) and shortened old tower (right) on south side

Though the church was built in the midst of the Baroque period, its architecture is predominantly Flamboyant or late Gothic, with an abundance of floral and vegetal carved decoration, as well as sculptures of fantastic creatures, particularly on the door and window casings. The church is pressed by large buildings which almost hide three sides; a house from the same period is attached to the right side of the church; this was the former residence of the canons of the church. However, its north side opens upon the terrace and sculpture garden of the Pompidou Center.

The original bell square bell tower on the south side was built two stories high. It was given a third level in 1612, but after a fire in 1871 it was reduced to its original height. On the left side is a more slender bell tower, with decorative arches. It contains one of the oldest church bells in Paris, from 1331.

The three portals on the west front are covered with a large pointed bay, and enclosed by two large buttresses. The sculpture on the west front is almost entirely from the time of King Louis-Philippe in the first half of the 19th century. The statues in the archway of the door on the west front are copies of those in the south transept facade of Notre-Dame-de-Paris. A few more modern sculptures were added on the upper levels, including cheerful images of a rabbit and a dog at the top of cornice, and an assortment of whimsical gargoyles.[5]

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  Plan of Saint-Merri
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  The Transept looking toward the choir and apse
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  Upper windows, arcades and the organ of the choir
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  The pulpit in the nave, looking toward the choir

The interior of the church, like the exterior, shows Gothic architecture skilfully blended with Renaissance features and decoration. The slender Gothic pillars of the nave and choir which support the vaults have been transformed into Renaissance arcades with massive classical pillars, and abundant decoration. The walls and columns are covered with sculptural foliage, animals, and elongated statues of Biblical figures, including Saint Peter, Moses holding the Ten Commandments, and Saint Merri himself.[8]

In about 1753, most of the stained glass was removed from the upper windows and replaced with white glass, giving the interior its exceptional brightness. The original pulpit was replaced between 1753 and 1761 with a much more ornate version, supported by two sculptured palm trees. It was made by Pierre-Alexis Hemon, following designs of the Slodtz brothers, whose work is found in many Paris churches of the period.[8]

Much of the art and decoration is found in the chapels that surround the nave and the choir, the disambulatory behind the altar, and in the transept. Some dates to the 17th century, while a large part comes from the 20th century, replacing art destroyed in the Revolution.

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  "The Pilgrims of Emmeaus" by Charles Coypel (1694-1792) (Chapel of the Communion)
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  Detail of "The Pilgrims of Emmaus" by Charles Coypel (Chapel of the Communion)
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  "Samt Vincent de Paul in Africa", fresco by François-Gabriel Lépaulle (1804-1886)
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  Fresco of The Virgin by Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856), his first major work (Chapel of Saint Marie the Egyptian)

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  Renaissance window (17th c.) in bay 5 of the choir
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  Renaissance window (17th c), bay 5 of the Choir. Saint Martin shares his cloak with a poor man
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  Window in the Chapel of the Virgin (19th century)
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  Window of Saint Mary the Egyptian
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  Window depicting the doubts of Saint Thomas, upper window in Chevet (17th c.)

The church has an extensive collection of stained glass from the 17th century and from the 19th century. Much of the early stained glass, especially in the high windows, was removed and replaced with white glass, to bring in more light, and to make it easier for parishioners to see their texts for reading. Most of the windows were created with various techniques using silver stain and other means of painting on the glass with enamel paints, which were then baked, and then sometimes scratched to create shading effects. This allowed more three-dimensional art and greater realism, and brought the art of stained glass closer to paintings than earlier stained glass. However,though they lost some of the mystical qualities of the deeply-colored light coming through the thicker Gothic windows.[9]

Many of the original windows were destroyed during the Revolution, and were replaced in the 19th century with new windows in the Renaissance style, which often used panels from surviving 17th century Renaissance windows. The remade windows frequently have the date of the remake at the top.[10]

• List of historic churches in Paris

• Brisac, Catherine (1994). Le Vitrail (in French). Paris: La Martinière. ISBN 2-73-242117-0.
• Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle; Églises de Paris (2010), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, ISBN 978-2-7072-0683-1
• Hillairet, Jacques; Connaissance du Vieux Paris; (2017); Éditions Payot-Rivages, Paris; (in French). ISBN 978-2-2289-1911-1

• Site officiel de l'église Saint-Merry
• Media related to Église Saint-Merri at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website of the Choir