Saint-Merri

A small chapel, called Saint-Pierre-des-Bois, existed in what was then a clearing. In about 700 AD. Saint Merri was buried there. 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 the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. In 884 he was chosen as the patron saint of the Right Bank of Paris. In about 890 Joscelin, the Bishop of Paris, had his remains exhumed, and a particularly rich reliquary created for him; the church was constructed to contain it. Gradually it became known simply as Saint Merri. 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. The church is now home to the Halles-Beaubourg Pastoral Centre. == Exterior ==

File:Paris (75004) Église Saint-Merri - Extérieur - Portail occidental.jpg|The flamboyant west portal File:P1290347 Paris IV eglise St-Merri portail detail rwk.jpg|The mythical figure at the top of the west portal (19th c.) File:P1290378 Paris IV eglise St-Merri portail statues rwk.jpg|Detail of west portal sculpture (19th c.) File:P1000949 Paris IV Eglise Saint-Merri façade nord reductwk.JPG|The north facade and transept File:Eglise St Merri PA00086259.JPG|The transept, competing with art from the Centre Pompidou File:Paris Saint-Merri416.JPG|Flamboyant pinnacle and a whimsical gargoyle File:St Merri Paris.jpg|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. == Interior ==

File:P1380704 Paris IV eglise St-Merri plan rwk.jpg|Plan of Saint-Merri File:Saint Merri Church Interior 2, Paris, France - Diliff.jpg|The Transept looking toward the choir and apse File:Église Saint-Merri (22439629142).jpg|Upper windows, arcades and the organ of the choir File:Saint Merri Church Interior 1, Paris, France - Diliff.jpg|The pulpit in the nave, looking toward the choir File:Pulpit of Église Saint-Merri 01.jpg|The front view of the pulpit in the nave 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. 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. The Choir and altar File:Autel Saint-Merry.jpg|The altar in the choir, with its gilded "Gloire", or "Glory". File:Tetragrammaton Paris StMichele.JPG|Detail of the "Glory" behind the altar File:P1290508 Paris IV eglise St-Merri cuve baptismale rwk.jpg|Baptismal font with emblems of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany (16th c.) The choir, the portion of the church reserved for the Clergy, occupies about half of the total interior. It underwent a thorough remodelling into the Baroque style, with designs by the Slodtz brothers. This is most visible in the arcades with rounded arches, and the pillars covered with plaques of marble and stucco in different colors. The floor of the choir was also replaced with marble pavement. The most imposing feature of the choir is the marble altar, which is dominated by a towering "Gloire", or "Glory" (1753), a sculptural work designed by the Slodtz brothers and made of gilded wood and decorated with the sculpted heads of cherubs. This was given further decoration in the 18th century by large painted panels behind the altar, by Henri Lehmann (1814-1882), showing the Apostles and heads of anagels, representing Joy and Sadness. == Art and Decoration ==

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. File:Les Disciples d'Emmaüs by Charles Coypel global.jpg|"The Pilgrims of Emmeaus" by Charles Coypel (1694-1792) (Chapel of the Communion) File:Les Disciples d'Emmaüs by Charles Coypel detail.jpg|Detail of "The Pilgrims of Emmaus" by Charles Coypel (Chapel of the Communion) File:P1290398 Paris IV eglise St-Merri St-Vincent de Paul en Afrique rwk.jpg|"Samt Vincent de Paul in Africa", fresco by François-Gabriel Lépaulle (1804-1886) File:Paris-Saint-Merry Fresko 99.JPG|Fresco by Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856) in the third chapel in the northern choir aisle, depiction: Mary the Egyptian is buried by St Zosima, a lion digs her grave The Chapel of the Communion The Chapel of the Communion was built in 1743 by Pierre-Louis Richard, on the plans of Gabriel-Germain Boffrand. It was originally separate from the church, but it was united with the rest of the building in 1760. It occupies three square traverses on the right side of the church. Its lower level symbolises earthy existence, with the sections separated by Corinthian columns, while the decoration of the upper level features three cupolas with windows, represented the vaults of heaven. The centrepiece of the chapel is a large painting, "The Pilgrims of Emmaus" by Charles Coypel (1694-1752). The painting appears like a scene in the theater, blending architecture and art, complete with painted curtains. In the center of the painting is a figure of Christ, bathed in a heavenly light from the painted cupola. The transept File:Eglise saint-merri028.jpg|"Jesus and the Samaritan" by Noel Coypel (Transept) File:Van Loo Virgen.jpg|"Virgin and Child" by Charles-André van Loo (1753) (South transept) File:St Charles Borromee par GF Colson.jpg|Saint Charles Borromée by GF Colson. File:Sainte-philomene-amaury-duval.jpg|"Saint Philomene" by Eugène Emmanuel Amaury Duval, (1808-1885) File:Saint Merri délivrant les prisonniers.jpg|""The Adoration of the Holy Name by the Four Saints", by Simon Vouet (Left Transept) The transept displays two large paintings in classical frames of New Testament scenes; "Jesus and the Samaritan" by Noel Coypel (1628-1707) and "Saint Peter Repentant" by Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809). Within the transept on the left is another major work of 17th century French religious art, "The Adoration of the Holy Name by the Four Saints", a work by Simon Vouet. In this work, a holy light reveals the presence of God, indicated by his name in Hebrew, "Yhwh" ("Jehovah") in the centre of the painting. Saint Peter, Saint Leonard of Noblat and Saint Frou are awed by the light above, and the light dramatically illuminates the black robe of Saint Merri. The A painting of "Saint Philomene with an Angel" by artist Eugène Emmanuel Amaury-Duval (1808-1885), "Saint Philomene" is found in the transept. He was a pupil of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, whose style greatly influenced his work. The chapel of Saint-Marie-l'Egyptienne The chapel of Saint Marie the Egyptian in the disambulatory behind the altar contains a fresco by Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856), which was his first major work. He was a pupil of Ingres, and, following Ingres, his work is distinguished by the perfection the features of the figures and the refinement of the colors. == Stained glass ==

File:Paris-Saint-Merry705.JPG|Renaissance window (17th c.) in bay 5 of the choir File:Paris-Saint-Merry36.JPG|Renaissance window (17th c), bay 5 of the Choir. Saint Martin shares his cloak with a poor man File:Paris-Saint-Merry109.JPG|Window in the Chapel of the Virgin (19th century) File:Paris-Saint-Merry695.JPG|Window of Saint Mary the Egyptian File:Paris-Saint-Merry716.JPG|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. 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. ==See also==

• • Dumoulin, Aline; Ardisson, Alexandra; Maingard, Jérôme; Antonello, Murielle; Églises de Paris (2010), Éditions Massin, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, • Hillairet, Jacques; Connaissance du Vieux Paris; (2017); Éditions Payot-Rivages, Paris; (in French). ==External links==