ORGANS OF PARIS 2.0 © 2021 Vincent Hildebrandt ALL ORGANS
Notre Dame
des Champs
91, boulevard Montparnasse, 75006 Paris
1877 - Cavaillé-Coll
1973 - Schwenkedel
2004 - Fossaert
mechanical traction (with Barker machine ) of the notes
mechanical traction of the stops (GO),
electrical traction of the stops (Pedal and Swell).
photo GO: Jeroen de Haan
The organ of Notre-Dame-des-Champs was built by
Cavaillé-Coll in 1877. It originally consisted of 26 stops.
In 1947, Daniellot & Salmon carried out maintenance
works. On this occasion, the organ was set back by 1.80
m. The inaugural concert was given by Marcel Dupré on
January 25, 1948.
In 1973, Schwenkedel altered the in strument, replacing
the Plein Jeu progressif of the GO by a Fourniture V and
Cymbale IV and adding a Plein Jeu IV on the récit. He
added a Doublette, Flûte à fuseau, Sesquialtera and a
Tierce on the récit (out of the old Plein Jeu) and on the
récit he replaced the Flûte traversière by a Bourdon 8,
the Flûte octaviante 4 by a Principal italien 4 et the old
Octavin by a Flûte 2. . The pedal was enlarged with the
addition of a new wind chest of 8 stops, with 4 new
stops added.
The organ was re-harmonized by Laurent Steinmetz.
The instrument was inaugurated on February 7, 1973
by Gaston Litaize and Jean Pierre Leguay.
The origin of the place of Notre-Dame-des-Champs dates
back to the early days of Christianity, the temple was
dedicated to the Virgin and took the name of Our Lady of
the Vignes. King Robert the Pious (972-1031) decided to
rebuild the building and entrust it to Benedictine monks
from the Alsatian abbey of Marmoutier. In the 18th
century, the abbey enjoyed a prodigious influence.
Bossuet preached there. Mademoiselle de la Vallière
withdrew there. Madame Acarie (beatified in 1791)
assisted Cardinal de Bérulle in his Carmelitan reform.
During the Revolution, the convent was closed, the
church destroyed. In 1858, the parish was created. In
1867, the architect Paul-René-Léon Ginain (1825-1898)
began the construction of the present church, freely
inspired by the Romanesque style. It was completed in
1876. Charles Mutin was a parishioner of this church
located not far from the former Cavaillé-Coll workshops.
Photos: Victor Weller