Church of St. Paul and St. Louis, Paris.
100+ years old art print ... in excellent condition ... reverse side is blank !
Size: Size of the image: 6 x 8, overall 9 x 12 inches.
Condition: The print is in excellent condition. Printed on heavier paper.
In 1580 the Jesuits established a community for ordained members. Louis XIII donated them land to build a new church (1627-1641): this was modelled on the Gesu church in Rome, but dedicated to St-Louis in the king's honour. The Jesuits were expelled in 1763 since when its buildings have been used by a school. After the demolition of an old church dedicated to St-Paul, the edifice in rue St-Antoine accommodated a larger parish, thereby becoming known as the Church of St-Paul-St-Louis (1796).
Facade - The tall Classical orders of superimposed columns screen the dome, a feature favoured by the Jesuits and one which was subsequently adapted at the Sorbonne, Val-de-Grace, the lnvalides. Interior - It has a single aisle and inter-communicating barrel-vaulted chapels, a cupola with a lantern hovers above the transept crossing and tall Corinthian pilasters line the walls. This well-fit, spacious church with its ornate decoration and sculptures, drew an elegant congregation attracted by musical excellence (directed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier) and eloquent preaching. Many of its rich furnishings were lost at the Revolution. (Reliquaries holding the hearts of Louis XIII and Louis XIV were melted down, while the hearts were purchased by the painter Saint-Martin who ground the organs to mix with oil to varnish his paintings. Having used only a small part of Louis XIV's heart, the larger of the two, he gave the remainder to Louis XVIII, who rewarded the painter with a gold tobacco box.) The twin shell-shaped stoups at the entrance were given by Victor Hugo who lived locally in place des Vosges. In the transept three 17C paintings illustrate scenes from the life of St Louis. A fourth having disappeared, has been replaced by a painting of Christ on the Mount of Olives by Delacroix (1826). In the chapel to the left of the high altar there is a Maier Dolomm in marble by Germain Pilon (1586) - the terracotta version is now in the Louvre.
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