Interior of St. Sulpice Church, Paris, a photo from Ile-de-France, North

Photographer's Note

Interior of St. Sulpice Church (The Great Organ), Paris

It took more than a century and six architects before the monumental St. Sulpice church was completed at the end of the 18th century. The church, located in the heart of Paris's popular 6th arrondissement, dominates a pleasant square.

Construction

Construction started in 1646 at the site of a 13th century church. Twenty years later a lack of funds halted construction work. It would last until the early 18th century before construction resumed and finally in 1780 the church was mostly completed.

Interior

The Saint-Sulpice church has one of the world's largest organs, built between 1776 and 1781 after a design by Jean Chalgrin, who is best known as the architect of the Arc de Triomphe.
The gilded pulpit of the Saint-Sulpice was designed in 1788 by Charles de Wailly.
Another highlight can be found in the Chapelle des Anges (Angel Chapel), where Eug鑞e Delacroix created impressive wall paintings, entitled 'Jacob Wrestling with the Angel' and 'Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple'.

The Great Organ

The church's organ (1781) is one of the world's largest, with 6,588 pipes, and has been played by musicians like Marcel Dupr� and Charles-Mari Widor. St-Sulpice is still known for its music today, and frequent concerts are held here. The organ was constructed by Aristide Cavaille-Coll, the case was designed by Chalgrin, and the statues were made by Clodion.

The Church

The building is impressive, and with a length of 119 meters and a width of 57 meters (390 x 187 ft) it is the second largest church in Paris after the Notre-Dame.

The imposing front fa鏰de was built after a 1732 Baroque design by Giovanni Servandoni. It is defined by two large colonnades with Doric and Ionic columns.
The colonnades are flanked by two asymmetrical towers, possibly a result of the long construction period. The south tower, which was never completed, is 5 meters smaller than the north tower and has a slightly different design.
Servandoni's plan also included a large ornamented pediment and tower cupolas, but these were never implemented. (Source: aviewoncities/paris)

bukitgolfb301, tedesse, snunney, trevormoffiet, vasilpro, Cricri, carlosmarin, Schnappilic, jlbrthnn, Sonata11, smash2707 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

lousat (139926) 2012-09-30 1:35

Hi George,the interior ceilings are always fascianated me,remember my pic from your parliament? This is beautiful too,a great architechture and a magnificent capture whit the best exposure,details and colors.Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

JFS (32459) 2012-09-30 1:46

GEORGE, YOUR CHURCH INTERIORS ARE MAGNIFICENT, I'D SAY, UNIQUE! THANKS A LOT MY FRIEND.
HAVE A GOOD SUNDAY!
CHEERS,
JUAN

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2012-09-30 2:15

Hi dear George

Great interior shot. Sharp focusing adds tasty atmosphere. Nice light control by getting good day light. I can perceive the deep culture and tradition of great Europe via this nice shot. Thank you for your sharing and have a good Sunday night!

Takero from Tokyo

Guenther (10915) 2012-09-30 2:20

Hi George,

a spectacular ceiling shot including the whole organ! Perfectly balanced light... a great view, thanks for sharing.

Have a nice Sunday
G黱ther

tedesse (25147) 2012-09-30 3:02

Hi George!
Splendid point of view showing the beauty of the ceiling of the main nave and choir and the organs of the church St. Sulpice in Paris. Excellent sharpness, lovely colours and light.
Have a nice day
Tadeusz

snunney (130967) 2012-09-30 3:31

Hello George,
A great capture of this beautiful interior with its magnificent organ. Exposure is spot on and the detail is superb. Thanks for sharing and have a good Sunday.

trevormoffiet (3112) 2012-09-30 4:12

Hello George,
You have positioned yourself well to capture in perfect symmetry this view of the organ and the ceiling. Nice palette of browns and creams.
Regards,
Trevor

Sergiom (117241) 2012-09-30 5:34

Bonjour George,

J'aime beaucoup la perspective sur le beau plafond.La sym閠rie est des plus efficace et la contre plong閑 donne beaucoup d'ampleur � l'oeuvre.

Bon dimanche

Serge

vasilpro (41801) 2012-09-30 7:39

Hello George,
Wonderful interior composition with excellent architectural details, beautiful light and vivid colours, Tfs!
Have a nice Sunday evening, Vasilis.

Cricri (176) 2012-09-30 8:54

Hi George
Une pr閏ision impeccable dans le cadrage qui inclus a la fois le plafond et l'orgue, une lumi鑢e parfaite sur les d閠ails et le contraste des couleurs, belle architecture int閞ieur
Belle soir閑
cricri

siamesa (28231) 2012-09-30 11:01

Boa tarde George

Simply perfect.This photo is magnificent. The interior of this churc is marvelous. Very well done.
abra鏾s
maria

carlosmarin (11954) 2012-09-30 11:23

Hello Gy鰎gy
Nice framing of the interior of St. Sulpice, very balanced and very detailed.
TFS
Regards, Carlos

kordinator (8738) 2012-09-30 11:28

Hello Gy鰎gy
A great capture of this beautiful interior with its magnificent organ.
Exposure is spot on and the detail is superb.
Great job.
Kind regards
Sa歛

Schnappilic (9692) 2012-09-30 11:39

Hello Gy鰎gy,

I remembered this beautiful cathedral from Paris with superb ceiling. The framing is so good. Also the exposure and sharpness. TFS!

All the best,

Ovidiu

jlbrthnn (76043) 2012-09-30 14:52

Hi George,
Your note describes an interesting way the amazing features of this church. The picture is spectacular. The quality is excellent. Bravo.
Have a nice evening
Cordially
Jo雔

jjcordier (79299) 2012-09-30 22:33

George
Tr鑣 bon cadrage vertical guidant l挏il de l'orgue au plafond. Excellent travail de PP sur les couleurs donnant de l'originalit� � cette tr鑣 bonne photo.
Amicalement
JJ

dkmurphys (79209) 2012-10-01 2:00

Hi Gyorgy,
Spectacular interior capture. I like the architecture and the colors. Well taken.

Daniel

Sonata11 (34119) 2012-10-01 19:33

Hello George,
what a spectacular interior of this church.
The organs are fantastic with so many figures and so many details. Overall this picture is magnificent. Very beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.
All the best,
Barbara

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2012-10-06 0:19

Hi George,
great p.o.v. and simmetry, beautiful ceiling and organ, nice colors.
regards
Alessandro

mkamionka (75049) 2012-10-07 0:37

Hi George,
beautiful interior. I like your perfectly symmetrical presentation. Very impressive, congratulations!
M

francio64 (39888) 2012-10-13 4:56

Hi George,
bella prospettiva e ottima simmetria sull'interno di questa chiesa con l'organo a canne protagonista della scena.

Well done!
L'Assessore

sacavem (18620) 2012-10-22 6:09

Ol� George,

The church have rich and invaluable interiors, of any beauty.Well managed interior lighting with excellent colors.

Cumprimentos,
Filipe