Saint Louis
des invalides
2, avenue de Tourville, 75007 Paris
1687 - Thierry
1693/1718 - Julien Tribuot
1761 - Clicquot
1806 - Somer
1853 - Gadault
1921 - Abbey
1957/62/80 - Beuchet-Debierre
2012 - Dargassies*
* on the Swell, the Plein jeu has 3 ranks and the Cymbale has 2
ranks.
The Hotel des Invalides was completed in 1676 and
housed up to 4,000 war veterans. Originally only a
number of barracks were planned to accomodate injured
soldiers, but king Louis XIV chose a design by architect
Liberal Bruant which consisted of a large impressive
building with a royal courtyard and church.
The church Saint-Louis was added as an annex to the
complex. It was built by Jules Hardouin Mansart after the
design by Libéral Bruant, the architect of the Hôtel des
Invalides. The church was known as the pensioners'
Choir but later referred to as the Soldiers' church.
Soldiers were required to attend the daily mass here. The
church is connected directly with the Royal chapel, better
known as the Dôme des Invalides, separated by a glass
wall. The 107-metre high dome of the Royal chapel was
completed in 1690, the chapel itself in 1735.
Photo: Jeroen de Haan
The cathedral Saint-Louis-des-Invalides houses a
beautiful organcase (the only representative of the
Louis-XIV era), attributed to Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
Positif and Grand-Orgue are superimposed instead of
being seperated by the console. The instrument was
built by Alexandre Thierry (1687). Major revisions were
carried out by Charles Gadault in 1853 and Beuchet-
Debierre in 1955-1957. Eleven stops dates from before
the revolution (Thierry, 1687); about fifteen stops date
from Gadault, mainly reeds and flutes in the Pedal; all
the other stops are from Beuchet-Debierre. In 2012,
Dagassies completed comprehensive maintenance and
restoration works.
A photo on which you can see the old console before
the work of Beuchet
A drawing probaly made by Germain Pillon during the
construction of the organ
Organiste titulaire
Susan Landale, Philippe Brandeis & Eric
Ampeau
Concerts
Seldomly
Masses with organ
Sunday 11 a.m.
Videos
Philippe Brandeis.