Nemours

Saint-Jean-Baptist

Place de la République, 77140 Nemours

The church was founded by Gautier 1st of Nemours in 1170, with the agreement of the King of France Louis VII and William of Champagne Archbishop of Sens, in order to receive the relics of the Saint brought back from Sebaste. It consists of 3 distinct age parts: • The 17th century porch: Topped by a spire culminating at about 60 meters, it is part of the original building (its archivolts still seem Romanesque) and offers characteristic elements of early Gothic; • A reconstruction in the 16th and 17th centuries: Probably destroyed in the fire of the city at the beginning of the 15th century, the church was rebuilt from 1445 and consecrated in 1595. The choir was built in the 16th century and the nave was raised in the 17th century. Built on a rectangular plan, the building has three radiating chapels with polygonal bell towers, as well as a transept beginning that was never completed. • The interior redesigned in the 19th century: The stained glass windows were installed around 1850, the neo-Gothic furniture was made around 1890, including the stone and marble high altar dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Source

A3 The organ was built in 1653 by the organ builders Pierre Désenclos and Jacques Lefebvre, with the help of the sculptor and cabinetmaker to King Charles’ household, Charles Véniat, and the carpenter Hendi Heurtault of Nemours, to construct the case. It was altered in 1703 by François Thierry. At that time, the organ had 16 stops divided over 2 manuals, with a Grand Organ of 48 notes and an Echo treble division of 32 or 37 notes. The current main case was built by Charles Véniat, cabinetmaker to the King’s household. Several stops were divided into bass and treble sections, with the division between D3 and D-sharp 3. 1703 Work was carried out on the instrument by the organ builder François Thierry. The exact nature of the work is unknown. 1744 A 9-stop Rückpositiv was added, built by the Parisian organ builder Nicolas Collard and installed by the cabinetmaker Guyon of Nemours. In 1782, the instrument was enlarged with the addition of pedal stops by François Callinet and Adrien Picart-Lépine. The new pedal windchest, made up of two half-windchests of 14 notes each, has 28 notes, from A0 to C3. The façade pipes of the main case were replaced, including the bass pipes of the Montre 8' and Prestant 4' on the Grand Organ. On the Positif, Collard’s Larigot 1 1/3' was replaced by a treble Hautbois 8'. The instrument came through the revolutionary period without damage. After worship resumed, it was put back into working order by an unknown organ builder. 1849-1850 The organ builder Baron, working for the firm Daublaine- Callinet, was commissioned to restore the instrument. The keyboards and the bellows system were replaced. 1929 The cases were stripped of the layers of brown paint that had been heavily applied during the previous century. 1933 Victor Gonzalez was commissioned to restore the instrument, assisted among others by Rudolf von Beckerath. No changes were made, but the pitch was raised by at least a semitone through notch adjustments or pipe shifting. The entire organ was tuned in equal temperament. The mouths of many pipes were lowered, and two C-sharp 1 pipes were added to the Grand Organ and the Positif. 1985-1988 The organ was completely restored by Yves Koenig, with the removal of the additions from the 19th and 20th centuries and a return to the 1782 instrument. • removal of Gonzalez’s C-sharp 1 stops on the Positif and Grand Organ • restoration of the original pitch by removing the notches and lengthening the pipes, as well as the use of an unequal temperament • replacement of Gonzalez’s laminated metal pipes, and very damaged pipes, with copied pipes made of hammered metal • reconstruction of three wedge bellows However, the full extension of the Pedal to A0 was not restored. Only the A0 from the C-sharp 1 key was installed. Source et Photos

Titular organist Pippa Schönbeck Parish website Video Pippa Schönbeck