Description of the attraction
The Saint-Sulpice Church is located between the Luxembourg Gardens and the Boulevard Saint-Germain. The temple is huge: in size it is second only to Notre Dame de Paris. In addition, it is in Saint-Sulpice that the largest organ in France is located.
At least since the 9th century, a small church has stood on this site. In 1646, construction began on a new, larger temple. It continued until the French Revolution under the leadership of various architects, including Giovanni Servandoni, who gave the church its classic façade. The church was completely completed only in 1870, but a year later the northern bell tower was partially destroyed by the Prussians who were shelling Paris. The bell tower has been restored today.
During the French Revolution, Saint-Sulpice was desecrated: it was turned into a temple of Victory and a banquet hall. Here, in particular, the success of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign was celebrated. However, it was Napoleon who returned the temple to its purpose in 1800.
Inside the temple there is such an unusual attribute as a gnomon - an astronomical instrument for determining the direction of the true meridian. In the stone floor of Saint-Sulpice, a copper strip extending from the gnomon is clearly visible, indicating the direction of the Paris meridian (until 1884, all longitudes were counted from it). In fact, however, the meridian is more accurately determined at the Paris Observatory, located a kilometer to the south.
The interior of the temple is magnificent. Its main nave is 120 meters long and its vault is about 30 meters high. The church has two organs, a small choir with 22 trumpets and a large one with 102 trumpets. The history of Saint-Sulpice organs dates back to the 16th century. From century to century they became more and more complex. In the second half of the 19th century, the genius music master Aristide Kawaye-Kol applied all his talent to them. It was he who made the large Saint-Sulpice organ the largest in France. The amazing instrument is 18 meters high and has seven floors.
In the chapel of the church, one can see frescoes by Delacroix "The Battle of Jacob with the Angel", "Saint Michael Slaying the Demon" and "The Expulsion of the Robber Heliodorus from the Temple of Jerusalem." These are the last major works of the artist.
