Ivry-sur-Seine

Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul

3 Place de l'Église, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine

C1 The church of Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul houses the oldest organ in Ivry-sur-Seine. After a gallery was built above the main entrance in 1861, a public subscription was launched the following year to acquire an organ and proved very successful. The organ builder Stoltz was then consulted. The well-known harmonium builder Alexandre Père et Fils, whose factories were located in Ivry, heard about the project and approached the parish council with a rather surprising proposal to build an organ. The council wisely chose Stoltz instead, understanding that such a project was not Alexandre’s area of expertise. An order was placed for a two-manual organ with pedal, featuring a main oak case and a “dummy” Positive case, for a cost of 1,600 francs. The organ originally included two free-reed stops: a 16’ Cor anglais on the Récit and a 16’ Euphone on the Pedal—perhaps an idea inspired by Alexandre’s proposal. The organ was inaugurated on 4 June 1863 by César Franck. At the very beginning of the 20th century, the organ began to show signs of wear. In 1901, Charles Mutin was called in to overhaul and enlarge the instrument. The expressive Récit was extended to 54 notes and the specification was modified. The two free-reed stops were replaced by a harmonic trumpet on the Récit and a 16’ bassoon on the Pedal. The work cost 7,500 francs, and on 20 December 1901 the instrument was back in service to everyone’s satisfaction. Later, the pedalboard was extended to 30 notes, with extensions of the Great and Récit couplers, but without extending its two independent stops, which remained limited to 18 notes. At an unknown date, the pedalboard was extended from 18 to 30 notes. However, the pedal windchest remained at 18 notes; the pedalboard was therefore used only with couplers from F-sharp 2 to F 3. The instrument underwent no significant alterations or restoration until the 1980s, by which time it had become almost unplayable. It was then entrusted to the Beuchet- Debierre firm, which carried out a complete overhaul without altering its fine tonal character. In 2017, thanks to financial support from the municipality of Ivry, the owner of the instrument, a further complete overhaul was carried out. On that occasion, the two independent pedal stops were extended from 18 to 30 notes, restoring the full tonal palette of this organ with its fine neo-Gothic case. Text and organ Photos (with thanks): Thierry Correard

The present church, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is mentioned for the first time in a text of 1158. The lower part of the bell tower dates from this period. The 13th century saw the construction of two vaults whose capitals and Gothic arches are still preserved. In 1535, the staircase of honour, the entrance porch, the corresponding vault and then the right spans of the entrance were completed (one of the pillars bears the date of 1575). On the same date, the wooden vault of the central nave was completed. The vault (behind the choir and chapel of the Sacred Heart) was built in 1628 and in 1647 the stately chapel, now the Chapel of the Virgin, was built. The sacristy was built at the back of the North Chapel between 1855 and 1859. Source

Titular organist Jean-Pierre Charles Parish website