Versailles

Notre-Dame

2 Rue Baillet Reviron, 78000 Versailles

Orgue de tribune

OdC>

The church was built at the command of Louis XIV by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in the Baroque (French Classicism) (see: 17th-century French art ) architectural style and was consecrated on 30 October 1686. The parish of Notre-Dame included the Palace of Versailles and thus registered the baptisms, marriages and burials of the French royal family. In 1791 it was declared a cathedral but converted to a Temple of Reason in 1793. After the Revolution the bishop of Versailles chose the Church of Saint-Louis as his seat instead (the present Versailles Cathedral). Between 1858 and 1873, a new chapel was added by the architect Le Poittevin, who also built the market- halls of the Marché Notre-Dame.

E6 The great organ was built between 1687 and 1691 by Parisian organ builder Julien Tribuot. The impressive case is the work of master carpenter Antoine Rivert, with sculptures by Hurtelle. Originally, the case was white and gold. 1766 François-Henri Clicquot worked on the instrument: he remade all the reed stops from scratch, including a new oboe of his own, tweaked the internal layout of some stops, and built new manuals. 1834 The instrument was restored by Parisian builder Louis-Paul Dallery. He recast the Montre, and built a new 32-note swell chest. 1868 Joseph Merklin completely rebuilt the organ. The case was restored and repainted in its current waxed oak color. The console was placed in the now-empty positif case. The case was stripped, losing its original white and gold colors. 1893 Eugène and John Abbey carried out repairs and maintenance. 1911-1912 Major repairs by Charles Mutin. 1935 Beuchet-Debierre did repairs and maintenance. Added pneumatic action to the swell and positif. 1948 Victor Gonzalez fully restored the organ. The action was redone as electro-pneumatic. The organ was expanded to 50 stops. 1970 Erwin Müller added 6 stops. Adrien Maciet, tuner for the Müller firm, revoiced the organ. 1989 Pierre Maciet carried out a general clean-up. 2021 Muhleisen restored the organ. • Electric note action. • New digital combination action (ELTEC). • New electric console built into the Merklin console case. • High-pressure pneumatic stop action. • New reservoirs and blowers. • Full restoration of the display pipes and revival of the case varnish. • Revision of the Merklin chests' pallets (Liegelind). • New combination system. • Restoration of the 16' Montre on the great. • Improved voicing of certain stops (especially the mixtures). • Fast equalization and general tuning.

Titular organist Jean-François Frémont Parish website Video Jean-François Frémont Jean-Baptiste Robin