Church of Saint-Sulpice

The current church on this site is the second structure, built on the foundations of a 13th-century Romanesque church. Over time, it was enhanced, with the last additions in 1631. The reconstruction started in 1646, initiated by Jean-Jacques Olier, the parish priest who founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice and an adjacent seminary. Anne of Austria participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.

The initial design in 1636 by Christophe Gamard was disrupted by the Fronde, a civil war, and by 1660 only the Lady Chapel was completed. Daniel Gittard then took over, creating a new design and completing several parts of the church between 1670 and 1678, until funding shortages halted progress.

Later, Gilles-Marie Oppenord and Giovanni Servandoni, following Gittard's plans, resumed work, focusing on the nave and side chapels between 1719 and 1745. The Slodtz brothers, Sébastien-Antoine and Paul-Ambroise, were responsible for the interior decoration.

Oppenord, in 1723-1724, innovated with the transept's north and south portals, choosing concave walls and Corinthian columns instead of the usual pilasters. He also constructed a bell tower over the transept crossing around 1725. However, its weight risked collapsing the structure and was subsequently removed. This error led to Oppenord being reassigned to only decoration tasks.

In 1732, a design competition for the west front of a notable church was won by the architect Servandoni, whose design drew inspiration from the front elevation of a famous cathedral in London, designed by Christopher Wren. The 1739 city map depicts the church lacking its crossing bell tower but shows Servandoni's main façades nearing completion, except for the two towers.

Servandoni's work remained incomplete at his death in 1766 and was carried forward by various architects, including the lesser-known Oudot de Maclaurin, who constructed twin towers based on Servandoni's plans. Servandoni's student, Jean Chalgrin, later modified the north tower between 1777 and 1780, enhancing its height and altering its baroque style to a neoclassical one. However, the south tower was never finished due to the French Revolution. Chalgrin was also responsible for designing the chapel decorations beneath the towers.

The main façade underwent several alterations. Criticized for its classically incorrect width, Servandoni's pediment was removed after lightning damage in 1770 and replaced with a balustrade, aligning the design more closely with the classical east front of a major Parisian museum. The façade features a double colonnade with Ionic order over Roman Doric, integrating the corner towers with the front, a decision made at the peak of the rococo period.

This design was highlighted by architect and educator Jacques-François Blondel in his 1752 "Architecture françoise," praising its architectural merit and scale that set a new direction for French architecture. The church's vast interior is illuminated by large arched windows, presenting a simple two-story west front with three tiers of elegant columns. However, some critics note that the building's harmony is disrupted by the mismatched towers.

An intriguing historical feature from the Revolution era, when the church was repurposed for non-Christian worship, is a barely visible inscription over the main entrance's central door, declaring the French people's recognition of a "Supreme Being" and the immortality of the soul.

The entrance of the church features two large Tridacna gigas shells, gifts from the Venetian Republic to King Francis I, used as holy water fonts. These rest on rock-like bases created by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle.

Pigalle is also responsible for the large white marble statue of Mary in the church's Lady Chapel. This statue, surrounded by stucco work by Louis-Philippe Mouchy, replaced an earlier silver statue by Edmé Bouchardon, lost during the Revolution. The original was made from silverware donated by parishioners and was known as "Our Lady of the Old Tableware".

The Lady Chapel's baroque interior, reconstructed by Servandoni in 1729 and redesigned by Charles de Wailly in 1774 after a fire, includes a dome with hidden windows, also a de Wailly design. This dome features a fresco by François Lemoyne depicting Mary's Assumption, dating back to 1734 but since restored. De Wailly also crafted the pulpit in the nave, finished in 1788, known for its acoustics and historical significance during the French Revolution.

In the Directory era, Saint-Sulpice served as a Temple of Victory. Post-Revolution restoration, starting from 1801, includes the Chapel of the Holy Angels' murals by Eugène Delacroix, completed between 1855 and 1861. Notable works here include "Jacob Wrestling with the Angel", "Heliodorus Driven from the Temple", and "Saint Michael Vanquishing the Demon" on the ceiling.

The church boasts a rich history of skilled organ players dating back to the 18th century. Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, in 1862, restructured the organ originally made by François-Henri Clicquot, while the organ's case was crafted by Monsieur Joudot from a design by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin.

This organ, which incorporated elements from Clicquot's French Classical design, is a crowning achievement of Cavaillé-Coll. It has 102 active stops across five keyboards and a pedal, representing the zenith of the romantic French symphonic-organ era.

The church's history of organists is illustrious, beginning with Nicolas Séjan in the 18th century and including Charles-Marie Widor (1870–1933), Marcel Dupré (1934–1971), and Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (1973–1982). These musicians, known internationally as both organists and composers, played a vital role in maintaining the original condition of the instrument, especially during the extended period from 1870 to 1971 when only two organists were employed. The current organists are Daniel Roth (since 1985) and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin (since 1985).

Despite minor modifications, like manual re-arrangement and stop replacements in 1903 by Charles Mutin, an electric blower installation in the 1920s, and the addition of two Pedal stops in 1933, the organ remains largely as Cavaillé-Coll left it in 1862.

Saint-Sulpice holds regular Sunday organ concerts at 10:00 am, preceding the 11:00 am Mass, and a 15-minute Prelude of the Great Organ starts at 10:45 am before the Sunday Mass.

Additionally, the church houses a two-manual-and-pedal choir organ, also by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, from 1858.

In 1727, at Saint-Sulpice Church, the then-priest Jean-Baptiste Languet de Gergy initiated the creation of a gnomon to establish the equinox dates for Easter. This feature included a meridian line of brass extending across the floor and climbing a white marble obelisk about eleven meters tall, capped with a sphere and cross, marked with the year 1743.

The church's south transept window was modified with a lens, enabling sunlight to cast on the brass line. On December 21st, at noon, the sunbeam aligns with the brass line on the obelisk, while on March 21st and September 21st, it hits a copper oval plate near the altar.

English clock-maker and astronomer Henry Sully built this gnomon, which served for scientific purposes as well. This practical application possibly shielded Saint-Sulpice from destruction during the French Revolution.

The notable French figures, the Marquis de Sade and Charles Baudelaire, were both baptized at Saint-Sulpice Church in the years 1740 and 1821. Additionally, the church was the venue for the wedding of the famous writer Victor Hugo and Adèle Foucher in 1822.

During the historic Paris Commune in 1871, a group known as the Club de la Victoire made Saint-Sulpice their base, and the renowned Louise Michel addressed the public from its pulpit.

Several members of French royalty, including Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon and Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, who were granddaughters of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, are interred in this church. In 1788, Louise de Lorraine, Duchess of Bouillon and spouse of Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne, was also laid to rest here.

On 17 March 2019, a significant fire broke out at Saint-Sulpice during an organ concert, leading to substantial damage. This included the destruction of doors, a stained-glass window, and a bas-relief, as well as a staircase near the entrance. The fire, later confirmed as arson, led to the City of Paris being responsible for the building's repairs and restoration.

Lastly, the church hosted the funeral mass for Jacques Chirac, the former President of France, on 30 September 2019.

The third act, second scene of Massenet's "Manon" unfolds in Saint-Sulpice, where the character Manon persuades des Grieux to elope with her again.

In Balzac's "Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes," the character Abbé Herrera conducts Mass at Saint-Sulpice and resides on rue Cassette. Additionally, the church features prominently in Balzac's story "La Messe de l'athée."

Saint-Sulpice's esteemed reputation influenced Joris-Karl Huysmans to set parts of his 1891 novel "Là-Bas" there, a story that delves into Satanism and includes the character "Eliphas Levi," who studied at the church's seminary.

Significant portions of Djuna Barnes's 1936 novel "Nightwood" occur around Saint-Sulpice, notably at the well-known Café de la Mairie du VIe.

The church is mentioned in the mysterious "Dossiers Secrets" placed in the Bibliothèque Nationale during the 1960s.

Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince make note of Saint-Sulpice in their 1997 book, "The Templar Revelation."

In 2005, the Paris Archdiocese denied filmmaker Ron Howard permission to shoot inside Saint-Sulpice for "The Da Vinci Code."

David Alexanian's "Laplace's Demon," the first book in the Sword Demon Series by Mystic Publishers Inc., sets crucial scenes, including a confession and a priest's demise, in the church.

In 2018, South Korean band Monsta X featured the Dome of the Lady Chapel painting in their "Jealousy" music video.