The Churches of Paris_ from Clovis to Charles X Sophia Beale 1223 downloads.pdf

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Title: The Churches of Paris, from Clovis to Charles X

Author: Sophia Beale

Release date: June 14, 2012 [eBook #39989]
Most recently updated: January 25, 2021

Language: English

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
CHURCHES OF PARIS, FROM CLOVIS TO CHARLES X ***

NOTRE-DAME FROM THE QUAI DE BERCY.

THE

CHURCHES OF PARIS

FROM CLOVIS TO CHARLES X
BY
S. SOPHIA BEALE

Author of "A complete and Concise Handbook to the Museum of the
Louvre" etc

With Illustrations by the Author from Original Sketches
Photographs and Engravings

LONDON
W. H. ALLEN & CO LIMITED
13 WATERLOO PLACE SW
——
1893
All rights reserved

WYMAN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND REDHILL.

DEDICATED
TO ONE
WHOSE HELP WAS INVALUABLE
BUT WHO IS NOW
TO US
ONLY A MEMORY

"La nef vagant dessus la mer galicque
Porte dedens soy richesse inestimable
Justice y est pour patron magnificque
Raison y sert de Lieutenant notable,

Gens de scauoir par œuure treslouable
Sont galliotz qui lamenent a port,
Marchans y ont tresasseure support.
Prebstres, Bourgeois, nobles, Clercz et gen-darmes.
Icelle nef de se'fertile apport,
Cest de Paris le beau blazon des armes."

PREFACE.
IN a book of this kind, it is difficult to prevent oneself becoming a guide,
more or less complete. Dates and facts, architectural details and
descriptions, all savour of the handbook; but having determined to keep to
the historical and archaeological, rather than the architectural side of the
churches, I have tried to rake up quaint and legendary lore, and so add to
the interest of an ordinary guide book. I would also pray my readers to bear
in mind that, as the work is not intended to be an architectural treatise, I
have simply walked in the paths of Viollet-le-Duc and Guilhermy,
whenever I have been compelled to describe the technical details of the
churches.
My thanks are due to the Editor of the American Architect, for his
courtesy in allowing me to build these ecclesiastical monographs upon the
foundation of some articles which have appeared from time to time in a
condensed form in the Boston (U. S. A.) paper; and also to the Editor of the
Magazine of Art, for a similar kindness.
I should also like to acknowledge my indebtedness to the following
authors and their works:
"Histoire de la Sainte-Chapelle." Morand.
"Histoire de Saint-Denis." Dom Millet.
"Histoire de Saint-Eustache." L'abbé Koenig.
"Inscriptions du Diocèse de Paris." F. de Guilhermy.
"Itinéraire Archéologique de Paris." F. de Guilhermy.
"l'Église Saint Julien-le-Pauvre." A. Le Brun.
"Monographie de l'Église Royale de Saint-Denis." F. de Guilhermy.
"Sacred and Legendary Art." Anna Jameson.
"The Early British Church." J. Yeowell.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
Saint-Antoine des Quinze-Vingts 1
Les Carmes Déchaussées 1
La Sainte-Chapelle 2
Saint-Denis 30
Sainte-Elizabeth 100
Saint-Étienne du Mont 100
Saint-Eustache 116
Saint-François Xavier 158
Sainte-Geneviève (Le Panthéon) 158
Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois 177
Chapelle du Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye 189
Saint-Germain des Prés 190
Saint-Gervais 209
La tour Saint-Jacques 213
Saint-Jacques du Haut-pas 215
Saint-Jean-Saint-François 215
Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre 215
Saint-Laurent 232
Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles 235
Saint-Louis d'Antin 237
Saint-Louis en l'Ile 237
Saint-Louis des Invalides 237
Sainte-Madeleine 239
Sainte-Marguerite 243
Saint-Martin des Champs 244
Saint-Médard 248
Saint-Merri 251
Saint-Nicolas des Champs 256
Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet 259

Notre-Dame (cathédrale) 260
Notre-Dame de l'Assomption 299
Notre-Dame de l'Abbaye aux Bois 300
Notre-Dame des Blancs-Manteaux 300
Notre-Dame des Champs 301
Notre-Dame de Lorette 302
Notre-Dame des Victoires 303
L'Oratoire 303
Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis 304
Saint-Philippe du Roule 305
Saint-Pierre de Chaillot 306
Saint-Pierre de Montmartre 306
Saint-Roch 307
Saint-Séverin 310
La Sorbonne 319
Saint-Sulpice 321
Saint-Thomas d'Aquin 326
L'ancien Abbaye du Val-de-Grâce 326
La Chapelle du Château de Versailles 328
La Chapelle du Château de Vincennes 329
Saint-Vincent de Paul 331
INDEX

THE CHURCHES OF PARIS.

SAINT-ANTOINE DES QUINZE-VINGTS.
Saint Louis, always careful in helping his suffering subjects, founded
this hospital for the blind in 1260, upon a piece of ground abutting on the
Louvre, now traversed by the Rue de Rivoli. In 1780 the hospital was
transferred to the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, and took up its abode in the old
dwelling place of the Black Musketeers, whose chapel also served as a
parish church. It is a little building of no beauty nor interest, although a few
inscriptions relating to pious foundations still remain in the chapel, the
oldest being dated 1481. One of these tells us of the institution, in 1667, of
a somewhat early Mass by one Marie Lambert, maid to the queen mother. It
was to be said at 4 a.m. in order that the poor blind people should be able to
sally forth a-begging (d'aller à la quête) fortified with the Bread of Life.

LES CARMES DÉCHAUSSÉES
The old church of the barefooted Carmelites in the Rue de Vaugirard was
commenced in 1613, and dedicated to S. Joseph in 1625. It is now served
by the Dominicans. The crypt is the only interesting part of the church, and
is a curiosity, as it contains innumerable bones piled up on every side, the
remains of the ghastly September massacres of 1792. The frescoes painted
by a Liège artist, Bartholet Flamaël, are very much esteemed. Some of the
chapels are richly decorated in the gaudy style of the 17th century. The altar
is embellished by a 14th century bas-relief in marble representing the Last
Supper. A few epitaphs still remain: that of Cardinal de Beausset, the
historian of Fénelon and Bossuet; one of Cardinal de la Luzerne; and a
marble, covering the heart of Archbishop Affre, who was shot on a
barricade in 1848, while endeavouring to make peace with the insurgents.

LA SAINTE-CHAPELLE.
The origin and foundation of this most lovely example of mediæval art is
so much a part of S. Louis' life that it may not be out of place to give some
account of the Saint's character and habits before proceeding to describe the
history of the chapel.

THE SAINTE-CHAPELLE FROM THE PONT SAINT-MICHEL.

Louis IX. was pious and practical, and inconvenienced his courtiers as
much by his punctuality and the assiduity with which he conducted his
business, as by his religious duties. These he considered a part of his daily
work, hearing all the canonical offices with the same regularity as he
attended to the grievances of his subjects. Often, like our own George
Herbert, was he found prostrate before the altar wrapped in prayer. Even
Gibbon allowed that he united the virtues of a king, a hero, and a man—he
might have added those of a just judge and a lawgiver; and Voltaire sums up
his character as follows: "Il n'est guère donné à l'homme de pousser la vertu
plus loin." When his more worldly friends cavilled at his austerities, he
made his case good by retorting: "Si je passais deux fois autant de temps à
jouer, ou à courir les bois, pour m'occuper de la chasse, personne n'en
parleroit." As in the case of nearly all exceptionally good men, he probably
owed everything to the extreme care that his mother had bestowed upon his
education—a care which he repaid by a life-long devotion to her memory.
Of good Queen Blanche's character we get a glimpse in the following
touching anecdote. It is related that one day at Court, the Queen noticed a
beautiful youth with long, fair hair, and asking his name, was answered,
"Prince Herman, the son of the sainted Elizabeth of Hungary." On hearing
this, Queen Blanche rose from her seat, and, gazing at the boy, said to him,
"Fair youth, thou hadst a blessed mother; where did she kiss thee?" Whereat
Herman, blushing, placed his finger on his forehead between his eyes, and
the Queen, reverently pressing her lips upon the spot, looked up to Heaven
and breathed the invocation: Sancta Elisabetha, Patrona nostra dulcissima,
ora pro nobis. That a mother so imbued with admiration for the sainted
Elizabeth should have a son who walked in the Hungarian queen's steps, is
not very remarkable in those ages of faith. S. Louis' faith was simple,
loving, and inextinguishable; and so it came about that when he heard of the
Emperor Baldwin II.'s financial difficulties, he decided to purchase the
relics which had been given more than once, it is said, as pledges for
temporary loans. The Emperor's letter upon the subject would lead one to
suppose that it was an act of generosity to faire passer the relics to S. Louis;
but we know that the King paid very handsomely for them. "Je désire," said
the emperor, "ardemment de vous faire passer cette précieuse relique à
vous, mon cousin, mon seigneur, et mon bienfaiteur, et au royaume de
France ma patrie." Other purchasers seem to have been in the field; for S.
Louis only obtained, at that time, the Crown of Thorns and some portion of

the True Cross. One of his rivals was our Henry III., who in 1247
summoned all his nobles to London to witness the reception of some of the
Holy Blood which had been brought from the East in a crystal vase, by one
of the Knights Templars. It was sent by the Master of the Templars and
Hospitallers, its genuineness being attested by the Patriarch of Jerusalem
and the abbots of the Holy Land. On the 13th October, being the feast of S.
Edward the Confessor, the King, after prayer and fasting, carried the
reliquary from S. Paul's to Westminster, where it was deposited in the
Abbey church. The Bishop of Norwich preached, and celebrated mass; and
in his sermon took pains to impress upon his hearers that the Holy Blood
was more precious even than the True Cross possessed by the King of
France—an argument which points to one of the causes of rivalry between
the nations during the Middle Ages. Naturally the assembled prelates
accorded indulgences to the faithful who should visit the shrine; but this
much coveted privilege seems to have caused certain murmurings among
some of the assistants; they objected that, whereas our Lord had ascended
into Heaven in the body, He could not have left His blood upon the earth.
But Robert Grossetête, Bishop of Lincoln, was equal to the occasion, and
replied, that Joseph of Arimathea, having saved it from the precious
wounds, more especially from the one in His side, had given some of it to
Nicodemus, and thus it had been treasured up, and had passed from father
to son, until it came into the possession of the Patriarch Robert of
Jerusalem. These disputes seem to have been pretty common in those days,
in spite of the unquestioning faith of the multitude. In 1357 we read of a
squabble which took place between the Dominicans and the Franciscans,
one François Baïle of Barcelona affirming that the blood being separated
from the Divinity of our Lord was therefore not adorable. Often, indeed,
these wranglings became so violent that the Popes were obliged to interfere
in order to settle the matter.
The bringing home of the relics reads like a royal pageant. They were
carried to Venice by the "Députés de Saint Louis et les ambassadeurs de
l'Empire, accompagnés des plus nobles d'entre les Vénitiens. Le convoi mit
à la voile dans le tems de Noël, saison où la mer est le plus orageuse. La
confidence des Députés éleva leur ame au dessus de la crainte des périls, et
elle fut justifiée; ils arrivèrent à Venise sans avoir essuyé de tempêtes.
Vatace, Empereur Grec, avait détaché plusieurs galères qui croisoient aux

différens détroits où les François devoient passer, pour leur enlever ce
précieux butin. Sa vigilance fut trompée; Dieu veilloit sur eux."[1]
"Arrivée à Venise la Relique fut mise en dépôt dans le Trésor de la
Chapelle de Saint-Marc. Le roi instruit du succès de la négociation de ses
députés, envoya, ainsi que Baudouin, des Ambassadeurs avec l'argent
nécessaire pour se l'approprier. De leur côté les Marchands François établis
à Venise, plus riches encore des dons de la foi qu'avantagés de la fortune,
ouvrirent leur bourse pour payer la somme stipulée. Les Vénitiens auroient
bien desiré garder cette Relique, mais retenus par la foi du traité ils la
restituèrent quoique à regret."
"Les Ambassadeurs après avoir reconnu les sceaux se mirent en route, et
quoique la saison fût pluvieuse ils n'essuyèrent pas une goutte d'eau. Arrivés
en Champagne, le Roi partit aussi-tôt pour les joindre. Il étoit accompagné
de la Reine, de ses Frères, de l'Archevêque de Sens, de l'Evêque du Puy, et
des Seigneurs les plus distingués de sa cour. II rencontra la Relique près de
Sens; elle étoit enfermée dans une triple cassette. La première étoit de bois.
On l'ouvrit, et on vérifia les sceaux des seigneurs François et du Duc de
Venise apposés sur la cassette d'argent dans laquelle se trouva un vase d'or,
contenant la Ste.-Couronne. L'ayant découverte on la fit voir à tous les
Assistans, qui fondirent en larmes s'imaginant voir réellement Jésus Christ
couronné d'épines. Puis le Roi mit son scelle sur la cassette. Tant de
précautions écartent assurément tout soupçon d'infidélité."
"Le lendemain la Relique fut portée à Sens dont on avoit tendu toutes les
rues. A l'entrée de la Ville, le Roi et le Comte d'Artois, l'aîné de ses Frères,
la portèrent sur leurs epaules, les pieds nuds. Le Clergé alla au-devant, et les
principaux Seigneurs chargés à leur tour de ce fardeau honorable la
placèrent dans l'Eglise Métropolitaine de Saint-Etienne. On se mit ensuite
en route pour Paris, où la réception de la Relique se fit avec la plus grande
solennité. Tout le Clergé régulier et séculier fut convoqué à cette cérémonie.
Les Religieux de Saint-Denis dès la pointe du jour se rendirent à l'endroit
qui avoit été indiqué hors de Paris du côté de Vincennes; tous ceux qui
assistèrent à cette Procession marchèrent nuds pieds. On avoit dressé un
magnifique reposoir près de l'Abbaye Saint-Antoine, où la Châsse fut
exposée aux yeux du peuple. Guillaume, Chantre de Saint-Denis, entonna
tout ce qui fut chanté pendant la marche et l'Abbé eut place à la droite de
l'Autel, avec les Archevêques, Evêques et les autres Abbés, tous en habits

pontificaux. Enfin le 18e jour d'Août la Relique arriva, et fut placée au
Palais dans la Chapelle de Saint-Nicolas."[2]
A medal was struck to commemorate this event,
with the legend: HÆC REGIS REGUM TOTO
PRETIOSIOR AURO, and S. Louis kneeling before an
altar upon which is the crown of thorns. As to the
particular tree of which the crown was composed, there
was much difference of opinion. Clement of
Alexandria calls it ex rubo, a sort of thicket; other
writers a different sort of shrub or bush, called nerprun,
or wild plum; and others, the white thorn.
The antiphon used every day in the offices of the Sainte-Chapelle began:
Ecce Crux et Corona Spinea Arnia Regis Gloriae tibi commendantur; and
the seal consisted of a cross with the crown of thorns intersecting it, and on
each side a fleur-de-lys, with the King's crown at the top. Having acquired
the holy relics, it was most seemly that a shrine should be constructed
wherein they should rest—a shrine worthy the sanctity of such treasures.
And so S. Louis commissioned his architect, Pierre de Montereau, to build
him a chapel which should be a marvel of lightness and colour, embellished
with windows which should glitter like precious stones, and containing a
châsse, resplendent with enamels, and gold and silver—a shrine, as it were,
within a shrine. That the architect was worthy the confidence of his royal
master, the chapel testifies to this day, and Maître Pierre's immortal work
remains the most perfect example of 13th century architecture in France;
one might say, the most exquisite architectural gem which the world has yet
seen, or is ever likely to see.
Pierre de Montereau, or Montreau, as it is sometimes written, lived
eighteen years after the completion of his chef-d'œuvre, and doubtless
assisted at some of the splendid ceremonies held in it. He died March 17th,
1266, and was buried in the chapel of the Virgin belonging to the religious
of S. Germain des Près, where a splendid monument was erected to his
memory. Some of the finest of the buildings attached to the monastery were
his work, and up to the last century a stone was to be seen over his burial-
place, upon which he was represented with a rule and compass in his hands.
His epitaph gives him the titles of fleur pleine de bonnes mœurs, and of
docteur des architectes:

FLOS PLENUS MORUM, VIVENS DOCTOR LATO MORUM,
MUSTEROLO NATUS JACET HIC PETRUS TUMULATUS
QUEM REX COELORUM PERDUCAT IN ALTA POLORUM
CHRISTE MILLENO, BIS CENTENO DUODENO
CUM QUINQUAGENO QUARTO DECESSIT IN ANNO.

Another stone recorded the name of his wife Agnes, and on that he is
termed, in old French, mestre Pierre de Montereul. The chapel has
disappeared, and with it all trace of the tombs; but one at Reims, erected in
honour of Hugues Libergier, architect of the celebrated abbey church of S.
Nicaise, who died in 1263, gives some idea of what those of Pierre de
Montereau and his wife must have been.
The first stone of the church was laid by S. Louis in 1245, and three
years later, on the Sunday after Easter, Quasimodo, 25th April, 1248, it was
consecrated by the Pope's legate, Eudes de Châteauroux, Bishop of
Tusculum, as the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the Holy Crown. On the
same day, Philippe Berruyer, Archbishop of Bourges, celebrated the like
ceremony in the lower church, putting it under the patronage of the Blessed
Virgin. It seems strange that Joinville should not speak of this event, and yet
it must have been an imposing sight; but he does not once mention the
Sainte-Chapelle in his life of S. Louis. Perhaps this may be accounted for
by what he thus relates: "At Easter-tide, in the year of grace 1248, I
summoned my vassals and retainers to Joinville, and on the Easter-eve ...
was born John, my son, Sire d'Ancarville.... We had feasting and dancing all
that week, in the course of which my brother, the Sire de Vancouleurs and
other rich persons who were there, gave banquets one after the other on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday." And then he goes on to say
that he went to Metz on business before he started for the Holy Land;
therefore we may suppose that private affairs kept him away from Paris,
and that not being present himself at the consecration, he did not consider it
necessary to give an account of the ceremony.
Two charters dated Paris, 1245, and Aigues-Mortes, 1248, respectively
give the terms of the endowment by the king. The number of ecclesiastics
who first formed the college was fixed at twenty-one; five principal priests
or maîtres chapelains, each having an assistant chaplain (a priest), and a
deacon, and three beadles who had as many clerks under them. The number
was modified from time to time, during five centuries, and latterly it
consisted of a treasurer, twelve canons, and nineteen chaplains. The office

of treasurer was generally filled by some important personage, and he had
the privilege of wearing the mitre and other insignia of the episcopate, and
of giving the Benediction upon great festivals; but he was not allowed to
bear the crozier.

The most important event of the 13th century connected with the Sainte-
Chapelle was the translation of some of S. Louis' bones from S. Denis, in
which church they had been laid twenty-seven years previously upon their
arrival from Tunis, where the king had died of fever on the 25th August,
1270. Feeling his last moments to have arrived, he caused his body to be
placed upon a bed of ashes, and wearing the habit of the third order of S.
Francis, his noble spirit passed away. He was embalmed, according to the
fashion of the day; or rather, his bones were relieved of their outer
casements, by boiling in wine and water; other parts of his body, which it is
unnecessary to specify, being given by his son to the King of Sicily, who
placed them in the church of Monreale, Palermo. The young Comte de
Nevers had died just before S. Louis; and Alfonso de Brienne, Comte d'Eu,
son of John de Brienne, King of Jerusalem, and the Chevalier Pierre, the
King's chamberlain, had also succumbed to the unhealthy climate. The
funeral procession set out, and wended its way towards France under the
care of S. Louis' son, Philippe le Hardi. Arriving at Paris, the bodies were
placed temporarily in Notre-Dame on the 21st of May; and the next day,
amidst a large concourse of people, the procession, consisting of clergy, and
religious, started early for S. Denis, Philippe, reverently bearing his father's
bones, walking like the rest. Up through the city they went, singing and
chanting, and taking much the same route as had been traversed by S. Denis
and his companions, after their martyrdom, as recorded by the old

chroniclers. In an engraving by Boulogne a long procession of monks and
knights is seen issuing from the abbey to meet another coming from Paris,
the king and bishops being dressed in that peculiar high wind-blown
drapery common to pictorial art in the 17th and 18th centuries. S. Louis'
bones were placed in a stone coffin and buried in front of the altar of the
Holy Trinity, near the resting place of the bodies of Louis VIII. and Philippe
Auguste. Philippe le Hardi's wife, Isabelle, and Tristan, Comte de Nevers,
were placed on the right; the chevalier Pierre, who, as chamberlain, had the
privilege of sleeping in the King's chamber, was laid at his feet. In 1292,
Henri de Luxembourg caused the relics to be placed in a silver shrine and
conveyed to the Sainte-Chapelle by the Archbishops of Reims and Lyon;
but after some days they were returned to S. Denis, and it was not until
1306 that Philippe le Bel succeeded in his desire of placing the remains of
his grandfather in the chapel which was so dear to him, that he felt a
malaise each time he heard the divine offices elsewhere. The Bull of
canonization was promulgated by Pope Boniface VIII. in 1297, and the
translation of the king's skull followed nine years later, accompanied by all
the picturesque pomp of the 14th century. The reliquary was in the form of
a gold bust of natural size, enriched with precious stones, and supported by
Angels upon a pedestal which rested upon four silver-gilt lions. The crown
and the collar of the vestment were decorated with rubies, pearls, emeralds,
and sapphires; and around the socle were representations of the twenty-nine
kings of France, and a Latin inscription giving the date of the work, and the
name of the smith, Master Guillaume Juliani. Such was the châsse which
enclosed the principal relic of S. Louis: "Afin que la présence du Chef de ce
grand roi, qui pendant sa vie avait eu la justice en singulière
recommandation, animat les Juges de ce Parlement à maintenir les loix,
protéger les gens du bien, rendre la justice à ses sujets sans exception de
personne."[3]

L'an mil et trois cens et six ans,
Ot à Paris joie nouvele,
Car li rois mit en sa chapele,
Que S. Loys fist tele faire
Qu'a tout le monde devroit plaire,
Le chief de lui si richement
Et si très-honorablement,

Que par raison de la bel euvre
Que li dons saintuaire queuvre
Le vessel où l'en la mis prisent
Toutes personnes qui l'avisent. (Guil. Guiart.)
On the 15th May, 1843, an interesting discovery was made in the chapel.
Some workmen, in removing a stone of the pavement of the apse,
discovered a tin box containing the remains of a heart, and a procès-verbal,
stating that it had been previously found on the 21st January, 1803.
Although the position of the box (the centre of the apse) indicated that it
had belonged to some distinguished person, yet there was no clue to its
owner, neither inscription, nor name, nor date. The box, it is true, was in the
style of the 13th century; but it seemed doubtful, that, had the heart been S.
Louis', such an important relic should have been lost sight of, and no record
of it given by the Benedictines at S. Denis in their inventory of the treasures
which they had received from the Sainte-Chapelle. The matter was referred
to the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, and fully discussed; but
the members could arrive at no decision, and consequently the box was
replaced where it had been found.
While the kings resided in the old Cité, the most brilliant ceremonies
succeeded one another at the Sainte-Chapelle; it was, in fact, the chapel
belonging to the adjoining palace, now the Palais de Justice. The Queens,
Marie de Brabant, second wife of Philippe le Hardi; Marie de Luxembourg,
second wife of Charles le Bel; Jeanne d'Evreux, third wife of the same
Prince; and Isabelle de Bavière, wife of Charles VI., were all crowned there.
The marriage of the Emperor, Henri VII. and Marguerite de Brabant, and
the betrothal of Isabeau, eldest daughter of Charles VI. with Richard II. of
England, were also solemnised in the chapel. There, in 1332, Philippe de
Valois held a great assembly of prelates and barons, to announce his project
of another crusade against the Infidels—a project which was never carried
out. On the feast of the Epiphany, 1378, King Charles V., the Emperor
Charles IV., and his son Wenceslas, King of the Romans, offered gold,
frankincense and myrrh, after the manner of the three holy Magi. Every
time that the sovereigns convoked an assemblage of the clergy in the
palace, the prelates first went to the chapel and asked the blessing of the
Holy Spirit, while prostrated before the relics. In 1483, when Louis XI. was
lying ill at Tours, he hoped to prolong his life by surrounding himself with
the most sacred relics of his kingdom—so reluctant was this devôt to depart

from our wicked world. The Sainte Ampoule was brought by the religious
of S. Remi from Reims; the canons of the Sainte-Chapelle took the Cross of
Victory and the Rod of Moses out of their treasury, and a grand procession
of clergy and laity was formed on the 1st of August to carry them from
Paris to Plessis-les-Tours. But, alas! to no end; for on the 30th of the same
month the poor creature finished his earthly career of hypocrisy.
Boileau, in his Lutrin, gives an amusing account of an unseemly
squabble which took place between the canons of the chapel, and which
was in this wise. On a certain Sunday in 1667, one of the precentors named
Barrin found a huge lectern placed in front of his stall. He protested against
the intruder, and the other canons taking his part, it was ordered to be
removed. But here the treasurer stepped in with objections, and a whole
month was passed in discussions, orders, and counter-orders; the dispute
only being ended through the mediation of the first president, Guillaume de
Lamoignon, who decreed that the precentor should remain imprisoned
behind the lectern an entire morning, until the end of the High Mass, the
treasurer undertaking to remove the offending piece of furniture before the
hour of vespers.
It was the president who suggested this subject to the poet. Boileau had
remarked to M. de Lamoignon that an epic poem could be written upon the
most trivial incident, if only a poet had sufficient imagination to work it out.
"Faites donc un poème sur le débat de la Sainte-Chapelle. Vous pourrez
l'intituler 'Le Lutrin enlevé,' ou 'La Conquête du Lutrin."
"Pourquoi non," replied Boileau. "Il ne faut jamais défier un fou; et je le
suis assez, non seulement pour entreprendre ce poème, mais encore pour le
dédier à Monsieur le premier president."
The result of defying the "fool," who was withal a wit, is a series of
portraits in verse, of the canons, the singers, the precentor, and the treasurer.
The latter was not spared, as may be seen by the following lines:—

"Dans le réduit obscur d'une alcove enfoncée,
S'élève un lit de plume à grands frais amassée.
Quatre rideaux pompeux, par un double contour,
En défendent l'entrée à la clarté du jour.
Là, parmi les douceurs d'un tranquille silence,
Règne sur le duvet une heureuse indolence.
C'est là que le prélat, muni d'un déjeuner,

Dormant d'un léger sommeil, attendait le dîner.
La jeunesse en sa fleur brille sur son visage;
Son menton sur son sein descend à double étage,
Et son corps, ramassé dans sa courte grosseur,
Fait gémir les coussins sous sa molle épaisseur."
The canons are touched off with an equal vivacity; all their failings and
follies, their idleness and their gluttony, brought into the pure light of day:

"Parmi les doux plaisirs d'une paix fraternelle,
Paris voyait fleurir son antique chapelle;
Ses chanoines vermeils et brillants de santé
S'engraissaient d'une longue et sainte oisiveté;
Sans sortir de leurs lits, plus doux que leurs hermines,
Ces pieux fainéants faisaient chanter matines,
Veillaient à bien diner, et laissaient en leur lieu
A des chantres gagés le soin de leur Dieu."

And then the "machine" itself, the offending lutrin, is described:

"Aussitôt dans le chœur la machine emportée,
Est sur le banc du chantre à grand bruit remontée,
Ses ais demi-pourris, que l'âge a relâchés,
Sont à coups de maillet unis et rapprochés;
Sous les coups redoublés tous les bancs retentissent
Les murs en sont émus, les voûtes en mugissent,
Et l'orgue même en pousse un long gemissement."

The dream of the Chantre, perhaps the indirect cause of all the trouble,
in making the man cantankerous, and extra liable to be rubbed up the wrong
way, is no less worth quoting:

"Les cloches dans les airs, de leurs voix argentines,
Appelaient à grand bruit les chantres à matines,
Quand leur chef, agité d'un sommeil effrayant,
Encor tout en sueur, se réveille en criant:
'Pour la seconde fois (dit-il) un sommeil gracieux
Avait sous ses pavots appesenti mes yeux;
Quand, l'esprit agité d'une douce fumée,

J'ai cru remplir au chœur ma place accoutumée.
Là, triomphant aux yeux des chantres impuissants,
Je bénissais le peuple, et j'avalais l'encens:
Lorsque, du fond caché de notre sacristie,
Une épaisse nuée à grands flots est sortie,
Que s'ouvrant à mes yeux, dans son bleuâtre éclat
M'a fait voir un serpent conduit par le prélat.
Du corps de ce dragon plein de soufre et de nitre,
Une tête sortait en forme de pupitre,
Dont le triangle affreux, tout hérissé de crins,
Surpassait en grosseur nos plus épais lutrins:
Animé par son guide, en sifflant il s'élance.
J'ai crié, mais en vain; et, fuyant sa fureur
Je me suis réveillé plein de trouble et d'horreur."
An order of the Conseil d'Etat, dated March 11, 1787, sequestered all the
goods of the chapel, suppressed the chaplaincies and canonries, and
ordained that the services should be continued by the king's ordinary
chaplains. Three years later, the chapel shared the fate of all the abbeys,
chapters, and religious foundations; and soon after, S. Louis' beautiful
oratory was closed. The relics were sent to S. Denis, and the other objects
were dispersed to the National museums. Propriété Nationale à Vendre was
written upon the building, a piece of information which has only
disappeared in our own time. Under the Directoire a club held its meetings
there; and later, it was converted into a warehouse for corn and flour.
Towards 1800, certain ecclesiastics hired the lower chapel and celebrated
mass there, but in 1803 it was further profaned; the upper chapel was turned
into a depository for judicial documents, and the lower one was given for
the same purpose to the Cour des Comptes. In vain Louis XVIII. and
Charles X. endeavoured to restore the building to its proper use; and it was
only in 1837, in the reign of Louis Philippe, that its restoration was decided
upon. MM. Duban, Lassus, Viollet-le-Duc, and Boeswillwald were
commissioned to undertake the work at a cost of 2,000,000 francs, a sum
nearly equal to the original value of the relics and reliquaries (2,800,000
francs), while it exceeded by nearly two millions the original cost of the
building, 800,000 francs. The 3rd November, 1849, the work was
sufficiently advanced for the ceremony of the Institution of the Judicature,
when the ancient chants were sung as in former times. Since then, until

quite recently, a mass has always been celebrated in the chapel, upon the
opening of the Law Courts, in the presence of the judges, barristers, and
others who could gain admission. But this function has lately been
abolished, and the keeper now impresses upon visitors (rather eagerly and
unnecessarily), the permission to keep on their hats. "Mais couvrez vous,
messieurs, ce n'est plus une chapelle, ce n'est qu'un monument"!

INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL.

The celebration of the Fête des Fous was one of the customs of the
Middle Ages which was very tenacious of life. Although forbidden by the
legate in 1198, it flourished for another 250 years. The Council of Paris,
held in 1212, endeavoured to put it down; but it was only in 1435 that the
Council of Basle succeeded in suppressing it, together with stage plays and

other profanities. It was the custom at the Sainte-Chapelle, upon the Holy
Innocents' day, for the boy acolytes[4] to deck themselves in the canons'
copes and vestments, and to sit in their stalls, one boy bearing the mace
carried by the precentor as an attribute of his dignity. They were also
exempted, during a certain time, from doing homage to anyone. A curious
custom prevailed at Easter. At three o'clock in the morning, the clergy,
carrying the Host, went in procession round the interior of the palace; and
by reason of a foundation of one of the canons, Eustache Picot, under-
master of music during the reigns of Louis XIII. and XIV., only his own
compositions could be sung on the occasion. On Easter day a chronological
table of the principal events and festivals connected with the chapel, with
the date and the age of the King, was attached to the Paschal candle. Other
customs were peculiar to the chapel, as, for instance, on Whit Sunday,
when, during mass, while the Gospel was chanted, an Angel descended
from the vault, holding a silver cruet, from which he poured water upon the
hands of the celebrant. Flowers, roses, wafers, a white pigeon, a quantity of
small birds, and flax for burning, had to be provided by the Chevecier[5] in
memory of the tongues of fire which descended upon the apostles at
Pentecost.
On the Good Fridays of each year the chapel scarcely sufficed to contain
the crowds of sick persons who flocked to it from all parts of the city. All
maladies were supposed to be curable through the virtues of the holy relics,
but specially that known formerly as le mal caduc. At midnight the relic of
the True Cross was exposed, and at the same moment the chapel was filled
by the most fearful shrieks of these poor epileptics. The afflicted threw
themselves about, foamed at the mouth, and fell into convulsions, invoking
the aid especially of S. John the Baptist and S. Spire. The people were
convinced every year that some wondrous miracle had been wrought; but
the abuses connected with this nocturnal exposition were so great that, in
1781, Louis XVI. ordered it to be discontinued. The relics now shown in the
Treasury of Notre-Dame, and exposed there during Holy Week, are said to
be the veritable ones belonging to the Sainte-Chapelle; but the account of
their preservation after the desecration of S. Denis is so miraculous (almost
as much so as the original finding of the True Cross by S. Helena) that it
requires a large amount of faith to believe in them. The reliquaries were of
course all melted up, even Alexandre Lenoir could not save them. Those at
Notre-Dame are quite modern, although somewhat of the same form.

Another custom peculiar to the chapel was the singing upon Christmas-
day of the hymn "Noël," in place of "O Salutaris Hostia." The former had
been originally a joy-song, welcoming the kings upon their entry into Paris;
and thus, when our Henry V. entered the capital in 1420, and likewise
Henry VI. in 1431, they were greeted with this exclamation.

INTERIOR OF THE RELIQUARY.

The kings were not the only persons who profited by the virtues of the
relics; the first president of the parlement was so far privileged that he
could have them brought to him on his death-bed; and on Quinquagesima
Sunday they were exposed at the central window of the chevet for the good
of the public in the street. The châsse containing the relics had no less than
ten locks, the keys thereof being in the custody of the kings until the reign
of Louis XIII.; but while that monarch was at Lyons, a fire broke out in the
chapel (26th July, 1630), and the doors of the châsse had to be broken open,
a disaster which led to a change in the custodian, the president of the
Chambre des Comptes being substituted for the sovereign. This worthy
lived opposite; and it was also his duty to keep the relics clean, assisted of

course by a vast number of other presidents and officials. It was the duty, or
the privilege, of the kings to mount the little winding staircase at the side of
the altar, and to exhibit the relics to the people gathered in the chapel below.
S. Louis probably ofttimes walked up the steps on the left for this purpose
(the right-hand staircase is modern); and on Good Friday, 1423, the Duke of
Bedford, as regent of France for Henry VI., gave the blessing with the
relics. In 1575, on the 10th July, a great theft took place of a portion of the
cross which was frequently shown to the people (not the piece in the
principal châsse), and this in spite of six guards who "allans et venans toute
nuict par icelle, tant pour la garde des sainctes reliques comme du lieu."
This was looked upon as a great calamity by many people; but by some of
the incredulous was thought to be a feint of Henri III., who had permitted
the relic to be sent to Italy as security for some money borrowed by that
good daughter of the Church, the Queen-mother, Catherine de'Medici. In
1793 the destruction of the châsses and the dispersion of the relics was
ordered by the Convention, and carried out by the notorious constitutional
bishop Gobel. We cannot but lament the loss to art of these reliquaries;
whether, reading over the list in full of the relics given by Canon Morand,
we need sigh over their destruction, is another matter. They had swollen in
number since S. Louis' time, and besides a portion of the true cross, the
crown of thorns, and the lance, there was the rod of Moses, the cross of
victory borne by the Emperors of the East, part of the purple mantle, the
reed, and other instruments of the Passion, the linen with which Our Lord
wiped the Apostles' feet, the sponge, the handcuffs, the holy blood, the
Virgin's veil and a piece of her hair, an imprint of the face of Our Lord, a
piece of the Holy Sepulchre, and the upper part of the head of S. John
Baptist. All these objects, and one or two others which it is needless to
mention, were enclosed in the reliquaries which either stood or hung in the
great châsse. But other valuables were kept elsewhere. There existed up to
the reign of Louis XVI. an elegant little sacristy upon the north-east side,
having two storeys, in which were deposited deeds, charters, and gold and
silver vessels for the use of the altar. In it was kept the splendid agate, now
in the Bibliothèque Nationale, representing the Apotheosis of Augustus,
which was absolutely presented to the people as a pax upon great festivals,
until de Peiresc, Councillor of the Parlement of Provence, about 1619,
discovered the mistake, and the so-called "Triumph of Joseph" became
acknowledged to be the "Apotheosis of Augustus." A careful drawing of the

cameo was made by de Peiresc's friend Rubens, which was engraved by
Luc Vosterman of Antwerpen. It was called in the inventory of the chapel le
Grand Camahieu and the Agate de Tibère; it is, indeed, the largest known,
and is of most exquisite workmanship. The whole family of the Cæsars is
represented; some on earth, some in Heaven. The cracks in it are mentioned
in the inventory of 1480, and it is described as: Item unum pulcherrimum
camaut in cujus circuitu sunt plures reliquiæ. The cameo is supposed to
have been one of the treasures brought by S. Louis from Constantinople. In
1343, Philippe VI. sent it to the Pope who had desired to see it, but Charles
V. restored it to the chapel in 1379, and then the chapter made their
possession certain, by engraving upon the socle: ce camaieu bailla à la
Sainte-Chapelle du Palais, Charles cinquième de ce nom, roi de France,
qui fut fils du roi Jean, l'an MCCCLXXIX. The Byzantine mounting,
described by Tristan de Saint-Amant, was melted up when the cameo was
stolen, in 1804: Car les quatres évangélistes sont représentés de part et
d'autre du châssis ou tableau d'or, dans lequel cette pierre est enchâssée.
Another antique, an agate bust of
Valentinian III.,[6] was metamorphosed into a
S. Louis, and formed the crowning point of
the precentor's mace. The clothing of this
bust in silver-gilt drapery, the placing of a
crown of thorns in the right-hand and a cross
in the left, show the manner in which objects
of Pagan art were adapted to Christian uses.
That S. Louis should appear as a fat middle-
aged man with a clean shaven face and
cropped hair, was an anomaly of no
consequence to the Mediæval artists. Another
instance of the same naïveté is the bust of
Caracalla which formerly figured as a S.
Peter upon the cover of a book of the
Gospels, now in the department of
manuscripts. The cover is of silver-gilt,
Christ crucified with the Virgin and S. John upon either side, the amethyst
bust being placed at the foot of the cross. Upon the other side is Christ
enthroned, and an imitation emerald which no doubt represents some
precious gem that has since disappeared.

THE CHAPEL IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

Some idea of the richness of the contents of the treasury may be formed
by stating that the list of the images, vessels, reliquaries, crosses, &c., in the
last inventory, taken in 1784, occupies twenty pages of Morand's book.
Besides the objects already mentioned we read of a silver-gilt statue of S.
Louis d'Anjou; a fragment of the cup of S. Martin; a portion of the tunic of
S. Louis; an ivory Virgin, and thirty reliquaries of the 13th and 14th
centuries. These were all conveyed to S. Denis on the 12th March, 1791, in
a coach drawn by eight horses, and guarded by a chaplain and an officer of
the king's household, who gave them over to the Benedictines, then still at
the Abbey. In 1793 the relics trundled back to Paris in a procession which
mimicked the former one, and after being taken to the Convention, they
were melted up at the mint.
The Royal archives were stowed away in two great rooms above the
sacristy of the upper church. When they were first installed there, is not
known; but in 1615, when an inventory was drawn up by Pierre Dupuy and

Theodore Godefroy, there were three hundred and fifty drawers, two
hundred and sixty registers, fifty-two sacks, forty-two shelves, and fifteen
coffers. This inventory consists of eight volumes of manuscripts in folio. In
1783 the sacristry was sacrificed to the love of symmetry in the new Cour
d'honneur, and the archives were removed to the Chancellerie du Palais. At
the present time some of them are in the Bibliothèque, but the greater part
are at the Archives Nationale in the Rue Rambuteau.
The state of dilapidation into which the chapel had fallen when the
restoration was commenced, was terrible. The tracery of the windows was
destroyed, the glass was broken and filled up with plaster, the flèche and
gargoyles had disappeared, and the interior was filled with shelves and
woodwork for the storage of the archives. But the beautiful Renaissance
staircase of forty-four steps (the scene of Boileau's poem, the Lutrin) had
disappeared long before.
The dimensions of the building are as follow:—

Length of exterior 36 mètres.
Length of interior 33 "
Width of exterior 17 "
Width of interior 10.70 "
Height of exterior from the ground of the lower chapel
to the point of the gable of the façade 42.50 "
Height of the flèche to the summit 33.25 "
Height of the vault of the lower chapel under the
key-stone 6.50 "
Height of the vault of the upper-chapel 20.50 "

M. Viollet-le-Duc, in his "Dictionnaire Raisonné de l'Architecture," thus
describes the building: "De la base au faîte, l'edifice est entièrement
construit en pierre dure de choix, connue sous le nom de liais cliquart
(Portland stone) chaque assise est cramponnée par des agrafes de fer
coulées en plomb, les tailles et la pose sont exécutées avec une précision
rare; la sculpture en est composée et ciselée avec un soin particulier. Sur
aucun point on ne peut constater ces négligences qui ne sont que trop
souvent le résultat de la précipitation." At page 401 of the above work is an
explanation of the system of courses employed by Pierre de Montereau—a
manner of strengthening masonry which was in use before this period (13th

century), but which was improved upon by the great architect of the Sainte-
Chapelle. It is very similar to the system now in use.
The only communication between the lower and upper chapels at the
present time is by means of the small turret staircase, but formerly the upper
church was approached by a wide exterior flight of forty-four steps. It was
reconstructed many times, and the last one, in the Egyptian style, was dated
1811. The demolition of this is no loss; but it seems a pity it should not have
been replaced by one in better taste, as the only approach to the upper
chapel (except the turret stairs) is through the corridors of the Palais de
Justice.
The first thing that strikes the visitor upon entering is the enormous size
of the windows, which occupy the entire space between the buttresses, and
rise to the base of the roof. All the weight of the vaulting rests, therefore,
upon the exterior buttresses, but not the slightest inflection has ever taken
place. The church is built truly east and west, the entrance to each chapel
being by separate portals. The only modification the exterior of the building
has sustained since S. Louis' time is the addition of a little oratory attributed
to Louis XI., and the rebuilding of a part of the façade in the 15th century.
The porch of the lower chapel is divided into two bays by a pier, on
which is a statue of the Blessed Virgin, while above in the tympanum, is a
representation of the Coronation of the Virgin. The restoration of this and
the entire ornament of the doorway is the work of M. Geoffroy-Dechaume.
The original statue had the reputation of working miracles; and it is related
that when, towards 1304, Jean Duns Scotus, a celebrated theologian of the
University of Paris, was praying at its feet, it bent its head in approval of the
doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which that learned doctor was
teaching. It has since always remained in the same position. The portal of
the upper chapel is of the same character as the lower one, but richer in its
decoration. It is nearly all new, for the old ornament had not only been
mutilated, but had been completely chiselled off. The voussure is a mass of
sculptures—single figures, groups, and ornament. The figures are forty-four
in number: Angels carrying the elect to heaven, Angels censing and bearing
crowns, martyrs with the instruments of their sufferings, and the lost souls
surrounded by the flames of hell, the whole forming a framework to the
central subject in the tympanum, the Last Judgement; the work is a marvel
of patient study, modelled upon the portals of Notre-Dame and S. Germain

l'Auxerrois, each figure having been fitted into its place upon the lines of
the original wherever any traces of the old sculptures had been preserved.

The plan of the church is a parallelogram, terminating in a polygonal
apse. The buttresses reach to the parapet, and terminate in pinnacles
surrounded by gargoyles ornamented with the most grotesque birds and
beasts. The windows of the nave are divided into four lights, with foliated
circles in the heads very similar to those of the Chapter House at Salisbury.
Several flèches have preceded the present one; the first fell in the reign of
Charles VI., the second was burnt in the great fire of 16th July, 1630; the
third was erected by Louis XIII. in the ogival style of that period, and
remained until the 17th century. When it was destroyed, in 1791, it
contained five bells, which had been cast in 1738; the Dauphin, the Duc
d'Orléans, the Duc de Chartres, and the first President of the Chambre des
Comptes being their sponsors. The present flèche was erected in 1853, and
is in the style of the 15th century. It is of wood, covered with lead, and
consists of three octagonal storeys supporting the spire.
On the lower storey are colossal statues of the twelve Apostles, most of
them portraits, the S. Thomas being that of the sculptor Lassus. The gables
of the upper storey support Angels with the instruments of the Passion. The
crockets of the spire are fleurs-de-lys, and the whole is resplendent with
gilding. The summit of the chevet is surmounted by a huge Angel, in lead,
holding a processional cross. There was an idea, never carried out, of
making this statue turn round mechanically upon a pivot during the twenty-
four hours, that it might present the symbol of salvation successively to all
quarters of the city. The masks upon the pedestal of this figure are all
portraits of the artists and workmen engaged upon the restoration of the
chapel, posing as the Kings of France. The oratory, erected by Louis XI.,

between the two buttresses of the fourth
bay, upon the south side, is decorated
with niches and corbels of human heads.
The vaulting of the lower chapel is
supported by fourteen single-shaft
pillars, surrounded by foliated capitals of
various designs. The walls are decorated
with arcading, terminated at the east end
by an apse. The two columns without
capitals were added at the same time as
the apsidal tribune in the upper chapel.
The decoration is in imitation of the
original 13th century work, some of
which, a fragment of an Annunciation,
was discovered in removing the remains
of some later work in a style utterly at
variance with the architecture, by Martin
Fréminet, painter to Henri IV. and Louis
XIII. In 1691 the tracery of the windows
and the stained glass were destroyed and
replaced by white in order to give extra
light. Formerly there were seven altars
and a font in the lower chapel, Boileau,
whose father had a house in the court of
the palace, being amongst those who
were baptised there.
The upper chapel is one of those buildings which one never tires of
admiring. When we wend our way up the turret stairs, and enter it from the
semi-darkness of the crypt, it strikes us as the most exquisite scheme of
colour imaginable. Add to the beauty of the chapel all the associations
which crowd upon the memory—S. Louis' beautiful faith and noble life, his
enthusiasm for God's work and man's welfare; all the ceremonies and the
processions which have taken place there, with the lights, the flowers, and
the incense, and our imagination forms a picture that no hand could
adequately paint. The chapel is composed of four bays for the nave, and
seven smaller for the apse. The vault is groined and is supported by
clustered columns and capitals ornamented with foliage. The windows

occupy the entire space between the supporting pillars, and are filled with
most beautiful stained glass;[7] while below is an arcade rising from a stone
seat. The capitals of the columns are most exquisitely carved in imitation of
the flora of France, and the quatrefoils between the arches are filled with a
kind of decoration which is as rare as it is effective. The designs were
drawn upon the stone, and the backgrounds filled in with incrustations of
blue glass and gold, the subjects being taken from the lives of the martyrs.
Most of them have been restored; but, very wisely, two or three have been
left in the state in which they were discovered. Between the arches of the
arcades are Angels with outstretched arms, who seem to be crowning the
martyrs in the quatrefoils. At the third bay of the nave on each side are
recesses which formed reserved places for some privileged persons during
Mass; and it is thought that they were probably occupied by the king and
queen, the former on the Gospel, the latter on the Epistle side. On the south
wall is a slanting recess, which formerly must have served as a chapel, as
there was an altar at the end of it having a painted reredos representing the
interior of the great châsse, with all its contents ranged in proper order, and
S. Louis praying before it. It is supposed that Louis XI. may have used this
niche as a place where he could pray without being seen, but in sight of the
altar and the relics.
It has always been the custom at the consecration of a church to place a
cross wherever the sign of the cross had been made by the bishop. The
architect of the Sainte-Chapelle conceived the happy idea of placing the
twelve Apostles as pillars of the Church, supporting these crosses, which
are in the form of monstrances. The pedestals on which the figures stand are
affixed to the pillars, and the statues, like the rest of the church, are painted
and gilt, those of the 13th century being marvellous examples of the
sculpture of that period. After the closing of the chapel these statues were
sent to the Musée des Monuments Français; but when the Museum was
suppressed they were dispersed or broken up. S. Peter was discovered in
fragments at S. Denis, another was given to the church at Creteil, where it
passed as S. Louis, and four were given to the missionaries for their Calvary
at Mt. Valerien. The latter were in perfect preservation, and the colour had
not disappeared. They remained at the entrance of one of the chapels of the
Way of the Cross until 1830, when some senseless vandals threw them
down and broke them; but the fragments were preserved, and are now in the
garden of the Hôtel Cluny, a museum of fragments. The rest were replaced

in the chapel, and are the fourth and fifth on each side facing the altar; all
the others are new.
The pavement is modern incised stone, with incrustations of colour,
representing geometrical patterns, animals, and flowers. In the apse are
subjects—the Four rivers of Paradise, and the Seven Sacraments in the
form of rivers. The altar is an exact copy of the original one. Above it is the
tribune and canopy where the relics were exposed, with a spiral staircase
leading up to it;[8] the northern one is ancient, and was found by Alexandre
Lenoir, in the Musée des Petits-Augustins, where for half a century it had
been attached to the façade of the Château de Gaillon, a 16th century work,
now in the court of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. On one side of the apse is a
very beautiful piscina. Part of the baldachino is ancient, and the rest has
been restored from old drawings.
Formerly several statues occupied places in the chapel; one, a terra-cotta
Notre-Dame de Pitié, by Germain Pilon, which is now in the chapel of the
military school of St. Cyr. A 16th century jubé, with altars attached to it,
marked the nave from the chancel. The retables of these altars (now in the
Louvre) were in enamel, signed and dated Léonard Limousin, 1533, and
contain portraits of François I. and his second wife, Eléonore d'Autriche,
sister of Charles V. and of Henri II. and Catherine de'Medici, all kneeling.
The choir was filled with carved stalls of the time of Henri II. At the four
corners of the altar pavement, Henri III. elevated bronze Angels upon black
marble pillars. On the retro-altar was a silver-gilt model of the chapel, three
or four feet high, executed in 1631 by Pijard, goldsmith, and guardian of the
relics. This contained some of the treasures, and was considered a very fine
work of art, costing some 13,000 livres. There is an excellent drawing of the
original altar in Viollet-le-Duc's dictionary. Canon Morand tells us, in his
history of the chapel, that the ciborium, which is usually placed in the
tabernacle, was here suspended in front of the altar—probably the retro-
altar, as in the engraving of the High Altar in the Canon's book, there is no
representation of it. All the old furniture of the church has disappeared, the
carved stalls, the jubé, the altars, and the pulpit. Upon the subject of letting,
or taking money for seats or chairs in church, the Abbé waxes wrathful.
Nothing is more "indécent que de vendre ou de louer des places à l'Eglise.
En Angleterre et en Hollande on est assis dans les Temples sans aucun frais,
et sans être interrompu par les Mandians, par les quêteurs, ou par les
loueurs de chaises; en quoi les non-Catholiques nous donnent un bel

exemple à suivre, si nous étions assez raisonables et assez désinterressés
pour cela." This is a proof that the letting of pews which prevailed in this
country some years ago was a bad departure from the free-and-open seat
system of the last century; and the picture drawn of the restlessness of a
French church, from the incessant perambulating of the Suisses, the
quêteurs, and the chair-owners, is as true now as it was in the time of
Morand.

THE JUBÉ, SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

The Canon then goes on to record the want of reverence of the
congregation, how they just half kneel when the bell rings; how they must
needs sit, and even gossip, during the short quarter of an hour occupied by a
low mass; how they take snuff and bear themselves generally, and then go
out and stand about for the greater part of the day at their business.
S. Louis ordained, in his foundation charters, that the offerings received
by the priests at the altar should be devoted to the reparation of the glass,
and that if it should be insufficient, the necessary funds should be taken
from the Royal Treasury deposited at the Temple. The restoration of the
windows is now complete, this being the work of MM. Steinheil and
Lusson. These artists have done their work so well, and matched the colours
so perfectly, that it is difficult to distinguish the new from the old. The rose-
window is of the 15th century, the others of the 13th century. The subjects
are from the Old and New Testament, and from the life of S. Louis. Some of
these latter are original, and, as it is probable that the artists assisted at the

ceremonies held in the chapel, it is also probable that the pictures may be
true portraits of the personages represented. The subjects of the rose-
window are all taken from the Apocalypse.
Such is the chapel which was so dear to the King that he felt a "malaise"
when he heard divine service elsewhere, and of which the troubadour
Rutebeuf sings the praises in a poem written after the death of the Saint,
entitled, Les Regrès au roys Loeys:

Chapèle de Paris! bien ères maintenue
La mort, ce m'est aduis, t'a fet desconvenue
Du miex de tes amys, t'a laissée toute nue
De la mort, sont plaintifs et grant gent et menue."—
(MS. Bibliothèque Nationale.)

SAINT-DENIS.
Although the Benedictine abbey church of S. Denis is some miles from
Paris, it is so mixed up with the history of the capital that it ought not to be
omitted in a series of "Paris Churches." Moreover, as it is by far the finest
church in, or near, the metropolis, and one of the grandest examples of
French 13th century architecture, no one ought to grudge the tiresome
journey by train or tram in order to see it, even if his stay in Paris be limited
to a few days. The only thing required to make it perfectly beautiful is new
stained glass in the windows of the clerestory to replace that put up during
the early years of this century, a horrible example of the execrable taste of
the period.

THE ABBEY CHURCH FROM THE GRANDE PLACE.

S. Denis was one of the sacred spots of mediæval Europe—a species of
Christian Mecca. "Si les lieux sont reputez saincts," says one of its children,
Dom Millet,[9] "à cause des choses sainctes faictes ou aduenuës en iceux,
comme ont esté est sont encores, les montagnes de Thabor et de Caluaire,
ou bien à cause des choses sainctes qu'ils contiennent, comme estoit l'Arche
d'Alliance, et le Sancta Sanctorum des Juifs; je croy qu'il n'y a personne qui
n'aduoüe que l'Eglise de S. Denys en France ne soit vn lieu tres-sainct en
toutes ces considerations, puis qu'elle a esté dediée des propres mains de
nostre Sauueur Jesus-Christ, descendu exprés du Ciel auec vne grande
multitude d'Anges et de Saincts, et qu'elle contient en soy tant des choses
sainctes, et des Reliques si precieuses et rares." It was a poor but worthy
leper who saw this strange vision. He had been left shut up in the church,
when in the dead of night he was startled by a dazzling light; and then he
beheld the Saviour, His Apostles, multitudes of Angels, and S. Denis and
his companions. Our Lord sprinkled the church with holy water, and S.
Denis and his companions served Him; and then He said to the leper: "Go
and tell le bon roy Dagobort what thou hast seen." "But how can a poor
leper penetrate the presence of the King?" said he. Then a wondrous
miracle was performed; the Saviour touching him with his finger, made the
leper clean. Then he went to the King, and they all believed.
Not only was S. Denis specially favoured by this miraculous dedication,
but it was privileged by Charlemagne in a charter, as the chief and mistress
of all the churches in the kingdom; and its abbot as the Primate of all the
prelates of France. This great man was allowed to have six deacons vested
in dalmatics whenever he officiated, an honour conferred upon him by Pope
Stephen III. when he consecrated the High Altar in 753, and at the same
time anointed and crowned King Pépin and Queen Bertrade, and their two
sons Charles and Carloman. People, high and low, from all the ends of the
earth, flocked to the famous abbey as we now rush to the World's Fairs; and
the great ones of the earth, princes, nobles, and ambassadors, considered
that they had seen nought of the civilised world if they had not paid their
respects to the relics at S. Denis. Some went for love, some out of sheer
curiosity to see the riches of the treasury: divers crosses, reliquaries, statues,
vases, chalices, and other vessels for the altars; S. Denis' mitre, chalice, and
rings; the famous head of solid silver gilt, containing his skull, and
presented to the abbey by Marguerite de France in 1360; a wonderful
golden cup enriched with precious stones which had belonged to King

Solomon, and a rock crystal vase from the Temple of the wise man—both
the gift of Charles the Bald. He, being abbot, made it his custom to attend
"the duties of his station at the Abbaye, on the solemn festivals, passing the
day in pious conversation with the monks and in religious observances." He
also made considerable donations,[10] added to the many lamps which are
kept continually burning before the shrines, and increased the number of
wax tapers employed in the services of the church. Then further, amongst
the curiosities, were the nail of a griffin upon a silver-gilt animal; a
unicorn's horn six feet high, sent by Aaron King of Persia to Charlemagne;
the hunting horn of Roland, nephew of Charlemagne; and the lantern which
was used at the betrayal of our Lord in the Garden, called the Lantern of
Judas. The latter was of copper, embellished by rock crystal, through which
the light shone. (This was also the gift of Charles the Bald). The mirror of
the prince of poets, Virgil, which was of jet; the sword of the genereuse
Amazone, Jeanne la Pucelle. Of the beauty of the croziers and pastoral
crosses, the mitres and episcopal rings, Dom Millet's description leaves no
doubt; and of the magnificence of the abbots, and the splendour of their
monastery, we have more than ample evidence. As an old epigram puts it:

Au tems passé du siècle d'or,
Crosse de bois, Evêque d'or,
Maintenant changent les lois,
Crosse d'or, Evêque de bois.

The Huguenots destroyed many of the church ornaments, ruined chapels,
and worse still, "ces impies la pillerent (S. Denis) et dissiperent
entierement, sans y laisser aucune chose, sinon ce qu'ils ne voulutent point.
Ils ne pouuoient faire pis, sinon mettre le feu par tout le Monastere, comme
ils firent en tant d'autres par la France." It was supposed that the "Prince de
Condé, leur chef," was not present at these little pastimes of his valiant
soldiers, for when he heard what had been done "il fit pendre vne douzaine,
pour monstrer comment il detestoit leur sacrilege: mais pour cela les pertes
ne furent pas reconnettes."
In a History of the Royal Abbaye of Saint Denis, published in London in
1795, we have some curious details connected with the church. "Every
Sunday and Holy Day at mass, the Deacons and Sub-deacons, after having
received the 'precious body of Our Lord,' repaired to a side altar to suck up

through a reed, enclosed in a tube of enamelled gold, the 'precious blood,'
according to a very ancient custom adopted in the church of S. Denis, which
is retained without any variation to this day." Whether this was so, or
whether it was the result of the anonymous writer's imagination, I cannot
say, as I find nothing about it in other books that I have studied.
The same author speaks of the "miraculous silver keys of S. Denis which
they apply to the faces of those persons who have been so unfortunate as to
be bitten by mad dogs, and who receive a certain and immediate relief by
only touching them." Alas, that these keys should have been melted up; for
here was a cure for hydrophobia without any of the vicarious suffering
which M. Pasteur's discovery has caused.
The legend of S. Denis, the patron of France, is exceedingly picturesque.
By some ecclesiastical authorities he is said to have lived in the 1st century,
by others in the 2nd or 4th, but by most he is one and the same person as
Dionysius the Areopagite. Hilduin, abbot of S. Denis at the beginning of the
9th century, seems to have had no doubt upon the subject, and in art the
Saint and the disciple of S. Paul have always been looked upon as the self-
same personage, although tradition records the existence of another S.
Denis, a bishop of Paris, in the 3rd century. Dionysius was an Athenian
philosopher named Theosophus. Travelling in Egypt to study astrology with
a companion named Apollophanes, they were surprised by a strange
darkness that came over the heavens, and were naturally much troubled
thereby. Returning to Athens, Dionysius heard S. Paul preach, and
thereupon being converted to Christianity, he understood that the darkness
which he had seen at Heliopolis was none other than that which fell upon
the earth for the space of three hours when the Blessed Redeemer was
crucified. Baptised and ordained priest, Dionysius subsequently became
bishop of Athens; and in some of the writings attributed to him he relates
that he travelled to Jerusalem to see the Blessed Virgin, whom he found
continually surrounded by a dazzling light, and attended by a company of
Angels. He also gives an account of her death at which he was present with
certain of the Apostles. After this, he returned to Athens and was
subsequently present at S. Paul's martyrdom in Rome. Thence he was sent
by S. Clement to preach the Gospel, together with a priest named Rusticus,
and a deacon Eleutherius. Arrived at Paris, an exceeding great city full of
people and provided with all the good things of the earth, they found it so
attractive that it seemed to them another Athens, and so they sojourned

there, teaching the people, who were learned in all things but the way of
truth. S. Denis then sent missionaries into other parts of Gaul, and into
Germany. But these successes were not pleasing unto Satan, and so he
stirred up the nobles against the good bishop, who was accused before the
Emperor Trajan. Some say it was Domitian, but in either case the result was
the despatch of one Frescennius, a pro-consul, from Rome, with orders to
throw Denis and his companions into prison. This was done, and finding
that they would not retract, they were put to death upon the Hill of Mercury
(who was so much honoured by the Gauls), and which was subsequently
called Montmartre (Mons Martyrum).
"Le Saint evêque Denis, et ses deux compagnons, le prêtre Rustique et le
diacre Eleuthère, souffrirent leur mémorable et très-glorieuse passion, à la
vue de la cité des Parisiens, sur la colline qui se nommait auparavant Mont
de Mercure, parce que cette idole y était particulièrement honorée de
Gaulois, et qu'on appelle aujourd'hui le Mont des Martyrs en mémoire des
saints du Seigneur qui accomplirent en ce lieu même leur martyre
triomphal."[11]
Then a stupendous miracle took place. S. Denis not desiring, or not
being permitted, to become food for wolves, took up his decapitated head in
his hands, and walked for the space of two miles, Angels singing by the
way. Accompanied by this celestial body-guard, the Saint marched over the
plains beyond the city, and signified, in some way unrecorded, that he
desired burial where now stands the church dedicated to his memory. This
was accomplished by a pious woman named Catulla, who had ministered
unto the three blessed martyrs in their prison, and who now laid their
mutilated remains in her own field.
Paris formerly, even as late as the last century, contained many spots
sacred to the memory of S. Denis and his three companions. At Notre-
Dame-des-Champs a crypt used to be shown where they preached to their
first disciples. At S. Benoît, now destroyed, there was formerly an oratory,
on the wall of which was an inscription recording that S. Denis first
invoked the name of the Most High on that spot. At S. Denis-de-la-Chartre
was the prison where the martyrs were visited by our Lord, and where He
administered His Blessed Body and Blood to them. At S. Denis-du-Pas was
the ground upon which they suffered their first tortures; and upon
Montmartre the church of S. Pierre records the spot upon which they were
decapitated. The way across the plain from Montmartre to the place of

burial was marked by a succession of crosses, and the field where the
Saint's remains were laid subsequently became the precincts of the famous
abbey.
The first church is said to have been erected before the invasion of the
Franks, but this had fallen into ruins in the 5th century, and it was through
the piety of S. Geneviève and the people of Paris that it was rebuilt. This
Saint, like all good Parisians, held S. Denis in great esteem; and it was
during a visit paid to his shrine that her taper, maliciously blown out by the
arch-enemy, was successfully relighted through the fervour of her prayers.
Gregoire de Tours relates many wondrous miracles which took place in the
new church for the benefit of the faithful and the chastisement of the
wicked.
But the magnificence with which Dagobert rebuilt
and endowed S. Denis completely eclipsed the work
of the maid of Nanterre; and so effectually was the
king looked upon as the founder of the abbey that,
up to the dissolution of the monasteries, the monks
celebrated his festival upon the 19th of January with
great solemnity and splendour. It was about the year
630 that Dagobert undertook the rebuilding of the
church, which is said to have been decorated with
precious marbles, magnificent bronze doors, and
gold and silver vessels enriched with precious
stones. These latter, and the shrine of the Saint, as
well as the great cross at the entrance of the choir,
were the work of the famous artificer in metals, S.
Eloy, who was also the maker of the shrines of SS.
Martin, Germain, and Geneviève. These, and, in fact,
SILVER STATUETTE
FORMERLY IN
all this great smith's works (as far as is known) have
perished; but his memory is still preserved by
THE TREASURY.
pictures and sculptures representing some of the
legendary incidents of his life. In the Firenze
Academy is a picture by Botticelli, and at the church of Or San Michele is a
statue and a bas-relief, both of which represent one of the great events of
the Saint's life. A horse having been brought to him to be shod, the animal
proved restive, and the Saint being exercised in his mind as to how he
should keep the beast still, bethought him of an excellent plan. He calmly

cut off the leg, and placing it upon his anvil, fastened on the shoe; this done,
he replaced the leg upon the horse, to the amazement of the beast and the
edification of his owner. Another picture, painted for the Company of the
Goldsmiths, represents S. Eloy under the form of Benvenuto Cellini,
presenting a shrine to King Dagobert, who figures in the costume of
François I^er. In 754, Pépin and his queen Berthe, after being anointed at S.
Denis by Pope Stephen II., began the reconstruction of the Merovingian
church which Charlemagne finished and dedicated in 775. From that year
until the 12th century, little is known of the history of the abbey. Like all
churches and monasteries in the north of France, it was probably destroyed,
and its lands laid waste by the invasions of the Northmen and the disastrous
civil wars which characterised the end of the Carlovingian dynasty, for
nothing remains of the magnificence of the churches of Dagobert and of
Charlemagne but a few columns and marble capitals in the crypt.

TOMB OF HENRI II. IN THE VALOIS CHAPEL BUILT BY PHILIBERT DELORME.

The third and present church was commenced by the great Abbot Suger,
and is considered by many French architects to be the earliest example of
Pointed architecture. Suger erected the tower, the portals, the nave, and the
choir in rapid succession, and subsequently the chevet and chapels; he filled
the windows with the most exquisite jewel-like stained glass, and loaded
the shrines and altars with precious stones. Some of the sacred vessels
formerly belonging to the church are now in the Salle d'Apollon of the
Louvre, and testify to the exquisite artistic taste as well as to the religious
enthusiasm of the good abbot. "As it is our duty to present unto God
oblations of gems and of gold, I, Suger, offer this vase unto the Lord," is the
inscription upon an antique sardonyx amphora which he converted into a
vessel for the altar. The dedication of this church took place twice, in 1140
and 1144, but it was only to remain intact some 70 years. In 1219, the day
after the feast of the nativity of the Virgin, its flèche was struck by
lightning, and a few years after, the church itself was partially destroyed.
Abbot Eudes Clément replaced the wooden flèche by a stone one, and
raised the interior of the apse; and his third successor, Matthieu de
Vendôme, finished the transept and the nave. The chapels of the nave upon
the north side were built in the 14th century, and a few unimportant
additions were made in the succeeding century. Of the magnificent circular
chapel of the Valois erected for Henri II. and Catherine de'Medici, nothing
remains but a beautiful colonnade, now forming a sham ruin in the Parc
Monceau. The chapel was situated upon the north of the apse, near the
steps, and was destroyed during the regency of Philippe d'Orléans, in 1719.
It is generally supposed that the destruction of churches and the
despoiling of monasteries in France were the work of the enemies of
religion in the form of the "people." But the kings did not hesitate to rob the
church when they could drain no more money out of their long-suffering
subjects. To Francis I.[12] and Louis XIV. the eighth commandment was no
more binding than the seventh; laws, divine or otherwise, were made for the
vulgar herd, not for their most Christian Majesties; and so, when the "Grand
Monarque" saw fit to please Mme. de Maintenon by founding St. Cyr, he
suppressed the abbacy of S. Denis, and relieved the monastery of the
abbot's revenues for an endowment. This was the beginning of the downfall,
and in 1791, the Benedictines were dispersed after an occupation of twelve
centuries. In the memoirs of the organist attached to the abbey at the time,
there is a touching account of the last mass celebrated by the prior upon the

day of departure. But the church remained intact, and was even made the
dépôt of the relics of the Sainte-Chapelle,[13] after the suppression of the
chaplains belonging to the latter. The Moniteur of 3rd September, 1791,
gives an account of the sittings of the commission of savants, established at
the Bibliothèque des Quatre-Nations, for the consideration of the
preservation of works of art. This commission was appointed by the
National Assembly after the passing of the law for the appropriation of the
property of the clergy by la chose publique. M. De Larochefoucauld was
the president of this "Commission des Monuments," assisted by many
artists and connoisseurs. They first of all chose certain places as receptacles
for the works of art, and then decided what to keep and what to destroy. The
former quarters of the Petits-Augustins became the museum of tombs and
sepulchral sculptures; and to the Capucins, the Grands-Jésuites, and the
Cordeliers were sent the books and manuscripts. A descriptive catalogue
was drawn up by Alexandre Lenoir,[14] who was appointed curator in 1790.
Unfortunately, much was destroyed, as, for instance, at the abbey of
Royaumont, where two Benedictines, Poirier and Puthod, were sent by the
commission to superintend matters. The mausoleum of the princes of S.
Louis' family was "démoli avec adresse," says the Moniteur; the coffins
were opened "avec circonspection," the ashes taken up with care, and then,
ticketed and sealed, sent to S. Denis. Les sieurs Puthod and Poirier carried
off the remains of seven princes and six monuments, which arrived just in
time to be packed off to the museum of the Petits-Augustins.
Many of the seventy-three abbots, from Dodon, the first (living in 637),
to the last, Jean-François-Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz, were
distinguished for their piety, for their learning, their greed, or their vices.
Amongst them we find the names of Fulrad, Hilduin, Suger, Mathieu de
Vendôme, the Emperor Charles the Bald, the Kings Eudes, Robert and
Hugues Capet,[15] the Cardinals de Bourbon, de Lorraine, de Guise, and
Mazarin. The conventual buildings were all destroyed in the reign of Louis
XV., and during the Revolution the church suffered in the same way as
Notre-Dame and S. Eustache, by being secularized in the most revolting
manner. But if the Revolutionists destroyed and carried away monuments,
the Imperial architects did worse, for they began a restoration in their own
hideous taste and "style"; and it was not until a few years ago that the old
church was restored to its pristine beauty.

Perhaps few churches have seen more changes than the silent walls of S.
Denis have witnessed. The burial place of most of the kings of France, it
was also upon its High Altar that Louis le Gros deposited the oriflamme, the
famous standard of France,[16] while some seven centuries later, its tombs
were only preserved from utter ruin by the wit of Alexandre Lenoir. Even
the church itself was threatened with destruction, and was only saved by an
architect seriously suggesting that it should be turned into a market, the side
chapels forming shops. By turns a Temple of Reason, a dépôt of artillery, a
theatre of acrobats, a flour warehouse, and a granary, its desecration was not
consummated until the glass was removed, and the leaden covering of its
roof converted into bullets. Napoleon saved what remained, and began
restoring it as a resting-place for the defunct members of his dynasty. The
Concordat guaranteed it a chapter, and religious services were restored.[17]
But the 19th century proved as disastrous as wars and revolutions.
Lightning once more brought down the flèche in 1837, and again in 1846;
and scrapings and cleanings carried away all the old surfaces of the walls.
Still, through the talent and learning of Viollet-le-Duc, it is one of the finest
of 13th century churches, and now that the tombs have all been replaced in
their former positions, one of the most interesting.

THE NORTH-WEST DOORWAY.

The façade has three doorways, which are rich in the somewhat rude
sculpture of the time of Suger. The subject of the central tympanum and
voussure is The Last Judgment. Christ is pronouncing the last sentence,
surrounded by the dead who are rising from their graves. His Blessed
Mother is interceding for sinners, and Abraham is receiving the elect into
his bosom. The Apostles, and the four-and-twenty elders, holding musical
instruments, and vases for the reception of the prayers of the just as a sweet-
smelling incense, are there, looking on at the damned tossed into hell. Upon
the stylobate of the portal we read the parable of the Wise and foolish
Virgins.
The southern doorway is decorated with the Martyrdom of S. Denis, and
the appearance of our Blessed Lord to the holy martyrs while in prison.
Unfortunately, much of these bas-reliefs is modern.

Some statues on one of the transept doorways are curious examples of
how a fraud may be perpetuated. They represent, without doubt, some
members of the royal house of David, but at some period they were said to
be kings of the Capétien line, and as such, casts were taken and sent to
Versailles, where they figured as portrait statues of Hugues Capet, Robert,
Henri, Philippe, Louis VI., and Louis VII. The capitals of the columns and
the foliage ornament of these portals are vastly superior in style to the
figures.
On each side of the western rose-window are some bands of black and
white marble, after the manner of the churches of Pisa and Genoa,
souvenirs, probably, of Suger's travels in Italy. Indeed, he tells us in the
account of his administration that he took much trouble in preserving a
mosaic which he had brought home and placed in the tympanum of one of
the doors. This was unfortunately replaced, in 1774, by a bas-relief of the
meanest possible workmanship.
The interior consists of a nave and two aisles, with a chevet of seven
chapels at the east end, considerably raised above the level of the nave.
Access to these chapels is gained by a flight of steps on each side of the
High Altar, and under them is the royal crypt. The whole of the east end of
the church, the double aisles, with their single-shaft pillars, the chapels, the
vaulting, and the glass, form a mass of colour, and a most beautiful coup
d'œil;[18] indeed, there is but one eyesore in the whole building, the
aforesaid series of windows representing Louis Philippe's heroic deeds.
Blue swallow-tailed coats and white trousers scarcely form a costume
which is either effective or appropriate as designs for church windows.
The wood carving of the stalls is of the 15th century, and was brought
from the abbey of S. Lucien-lez-Beauvais; the inlaid marquetry work at the
backs of the seats is from the Château de Gaillon, built by Cardinal
d'Amboise. Many of the misérérés have the usual quaint conceits which one
sees everywhere. Portions of the old glass were preserved by Lenoir in the
museum of the Petits-Augustins during the stormy period, and were
afterwards replaced in the windows of the apse. They consist mainly of
fragments of a tree of Jesse, and may be found in the chapel of the Virgin.
There are in all eleven lozenge-shaped medallions representing scenes in
the life of Moses, and mystical subjects from the Apocalypse, bearing
inscriptions by Suger. Upon the medallion of the Annunciation, the good

abbot himself is portrayed prostrate before the Blessed Virgin. In one or two
of the other chapels there are a few fragments of the legend of S. Laurence.
Of the early kings of France Dagobert was the first
to be buried at S. Denis, and his memorial tomb (much
restored) still stands on the right of the High Altar.
Clovis and Clotilde were buried in the crypt of the first
church erected upon the site of S. Geneviève, then
called the Church of the Holy Apostles. Childebert was
laid in the church of the Abbey of S. Vincent (founded
by him), afterwards called S. Germain-des-Près.
Chlodoald was buried at S. Cloud; S. Radegonde, wife
of Clotaire I., at Poitiers; Chilpéric and Frédégonde laid
the body of one of their children in the first church of S.
Denis. Besides Dagobert I., his queen, Nanthilde, and
THE LADY their sons, Sigebert II. and Clovis II. were buried at S.
CHAPEL. Denis; and although it is thought that other
Merovingian princes also received burial there, many
repose at Chelles, S. Waast d'Arras, S. Bertin, S. Etienne de Choisy, Metz,
Angoulême, S. Romain de Blaye, Jumièges, and S. Crépin de Soissons. The
monuments of Charles-Martel, Pépin and Berthe, Carloman, Charles the
Bald, Ermentrude, Louis, Carloman, and Eudes were all at S. Denis.
Charlemagne was buried at Aix-la-Chapelle, where the magnificent châsses
containing his skull and some of his bones may still be seen. His
descendants were distributed all over Europe: at Köln, Mainz, Prüm,
Regensburg, Loresheim, Oettinghen, Reichenau, Audlau, Verona, Milan,
and Piacenza; those in France, at Metz, Sens, Bourges, S. Laurent, S.
Sulpice, Tours, Angers, Lyon, Portiers, Compiègne, Reims, Péronne, and
Soissons.

URN SCULPTURED FOR THE HEART OF FRANÇOIS Ier.

From Hugues Capet to Louis XV. most of the kings were interred at S.
Denis; but it must be borne in mind that almost all the tombs of the earlier
sovereigns are modern, either wholly or in part. In the 13th century the
strange custom came into fashion of dividing the bodies of royal
personages, and burying the parts in different places. The Benedictine
monks of S. Denis protested against this division of valuable property,
asserting their right to possess the entire remains of the kings; but the
Dominicans and the Cordeliers contested these claims, and subsequently
gained permission for their own churches to share in the spoil. Later on,
other religious orders obtained the same privileges; and the ladies of Val-de-

Grâce were distinguished by the possession of the hearts of nearly all the
royal princes and princesses from Anne d'Autriche, the founder of the
monastery. Naturally, when each defunct sovereign was divided into three
portions—the body, the heart, and the intestines—great opportunities were
afforded to architects and sculptors; and we thus find three marble
monuments with recumbent figures erected for the remains of Charles V.,
that at S. Denis containing his body, while Rouen and Maubuisson
respectively possessed his heart and his et ceteras.[19] Francis I.'s heart was
placed in an exquisite urn in the church of the nuns of Haute-Bruyère; while
his body was buried in the grand monument at S. Denis. The urn was the
work of Pierre Bontems, and is now in the same chapel as the tomb, which
was the joint work of Philibert Delorme and Bontems. The beautiful group
of the Three Graces, by Germain Pilon, formerly in the church of the
Célestins, and now in the Renaissance Museum of the Louvre, supported an
urn containing the heart of Henri II.;[20] the hearts of the 13th and 14th
Louis, enveloped in shrines in the form of silver Angels, being the property
of the church of the Jesuits. The number of monuments erected at S. Denis
to the memory of the families of the sovereigns was small; and none of
them were to be compared, as works of art, to the beautiful tombs of the
Dukes of Bourgogne and of Brétagne at Dijon, at Bruges, and at Nantes.
Most of the princes of the different families, the Condés, the Contis, the
Valois, the Bourbons, &c., had founded chapels or monasteries where they
were afterwards buried; as, for instance, the Orléans chapel at the Célestins,
which was celebrated for its magnificence.[21]

THE CHOIR AND SANCTUARY.

None of the monuments of the early kings are anterior to the 13th
century; consequently, even the original portions of the effigies which
remain cannot be looked upon as in the slightest degree portrait statues. On
the other hand, the magnificent tombs in bronze, and the brasses which
adorned them, erected to the memory of Philippe Auguste, S. Louis, and his
father, and which were destroyed centuries ago, were most probably as
valuable as contemporary portraits as they were for their workmanship;
likewise the 13th century effigies which remain are remarkable for the
beauty of their workmanship. Louis IV. was the last prince who was laid
under a simple stone monument. The last tomb erected was that of Henri II.,
the sovereigns who followed him having had no memorials. They were laid
together in one great crypt, and when disturbed by the Revolutionists for the
sake of the lead of their coffins ("of the coffins of our old tyrants let us
make bullets to hurl at our enemies"), there were fifty-four bodies arranged
upon iron trestles side by side, Henri IV.[22] heading the list, and the
Dauphin, elder son of Louis XVI., ending it. The monuments now occupy

the same position that they did before the Revolution; and if we stand upon
the raised platform of the apse behind the High Altar we can gaze down
upon what may be called the history of France, from the artistic point of
view, during four or five centuries. On the left, the 13th century tomb of
Dagobert stands erect; beyond it, the Renaissance mausoleum of Francis I.,
one of the chefs-d'œuvres of that grand sculptor, Philibert Delorme. On the
right, the enamelled brasses of the children of S. Louis and the tomb of
Henri II. A mosaic effigy of Frédégonde, the Orléans monument, and the
tomb of Louis XII. by the brothers Juste, of Tours, complete the list of
important works, while all about are recumbent figures upon arcaded
monuments. The resting-places of the abbots were simply marked by
inscriptions or flat slabs. The historian of the Abbey, Dom Michel Félibien,
records the number of thirteen stones of grand priors with effigies, besides
the abbots' tombs.
Among the distinguished men buried at S. Denis were the following:—
Pierre Chambellan, of whom Joinville writes, "Messire Pierre
Chambellan fut le plus loial homme et le plus droicturier que je veisse
oncques en la maision du roi ... l'homme du monde en qui le roy croirit
plus"; and Alphonse, son of Jean de Brienne, King of Jerusalem and uncle
of S. Louis, whose epitaph designates him as "moult saige et moult loial
chevaliers." Both of them died "au service de Dieu et de Monsieur Loys,
roy de France, dessous Cartaige l'an de l'incarnation de Nostre-Seigneur
MCCLXX," and were "enterrés en l'église Monsieur Saint Denis" in the
year MCCLXXI, "le vendredi devant la Penthecoste le jour et l'heure quand
Monsieur le roy Loys fut enterré"; indeed, the old chronicler says, "aus
pieds du bon roys tout en la manière qu'il gisoit à ses pieds quand il estoit
en vie." Pierre accompanied S. Louis in the disastrous crusade which
terminated his reign. No doubt his tomb was of metal, destroyed with many
others long before the Revolution, as for example, that of the Comte d'Eu,
in gilt copper, enriched with enamels, which succumbed to the greed of the
Huguenots.
Close to the tomb of Charles V. were those of Duguesclin, Louis de
Sancerre, Bureau de la Rivière, Arnaud de Guilhem seigneur de Barbazan,
who, before Bayard, was called le chevalier sans reproche, and who, with
six others, was victorious over seven English knights in 1404. Near
Duguesclin Charles V. had marked the spot for the burial place of Jean
Pastourel, one of his principal councillors, whose wife was laid at S. Denis

in 1380, but having, sick of the world, retired to the Abbey of S. Victor
towards the end of his life, he desired to be buried there rather than amidst
the splendours of the royal tombs. He was the only civilian who was offered
this much-coveted privilege.
Guillaume de Chastel was another non-royal personage whom it pleased
his master, Charles VII., pour sa grande vaillance et les services qui lui
avoit faiz en maintes manières, to bury at S. Denis. The warrior held the
town of Pontoise against the English, and died during the siege, 20th July,
1441. Another vaillant capitaine de gendarmes, the chevalier Louis de
Pontoise, fell by the side of Louis XI. at the assault of the town of Crotoy,
and was rewarded by being laid to rest amongst the Royalties.
Louis XIV. of course accorded burial at S. Denis to his great
commanders. First, the Duc de Châtillon, for his magnificent services. Feu
nostre très-cher cousin was killed at the taking, in 1649, of Charenton, that
peaceful suburb of Paris just outside the Bois de Vincennes; and the King,
wishing to tesmoigner le ressentiment que nous avons d'une si grande perte,
honoured the valiant Duc with burial at S. Denis. The service was to be at
the King's expense, which looks as if the honour were sometimes a costly
one to the relatives; and no pomp or ceremony was to be omitted—such
were the instructions of his most glorious majesty.
The Marquis de Saint Maigrin seems, according to the King's epistle, to
have been of a valeur extraordinaire, dans toutes les occasions où il s'est
trouvé; his majesty felt avec beaucoup de douleur la perte que nous en
avons faite au dernier combat qui s'est fait dans les fauxbourgs de nostre
bonne ville de Paris; and so he, too, was to rest with the great ones, socially,
of the earth.
Louis seems to have been a sort of complete letter writer; the note in
which he eulogises Turenne might serve as a model for those masters of
style amongst us who delight in long sentences and a scarcity of full-stops;
but, unlike the moderns, "la grande monarque" never gets involved, he only
causes a slight shortness of breath to his readers. Witness the following
page: "Chers et bien amez, les grands et signalez services qui ont esté
rendus à cet Estat par feu nostre cousin, le vicomte de Turenne, et les
preuves éclatantes qu'il a données de son zèle, de son affection à nostre
service, et de sa capacité dans le commandement de nos armées que nous
luy avons confiées avec une espérance certaine des heureux et grands

succès que sa prudence consommée et sa valeur extraordinaire ont procuré à
nos armes, nous ayant fait ressentir avec beaucoup de douleur la perte d'un
aussi grand homme et d'un sujet aussi nécessaire et aussi distingué par sa
vertu et par sa mérite, nous avons voulu donner un tesmoignage public
digne de nostre estime et de ses grandes actions, en ordonnant qu'il fust
rendu à sa mémoire tous les honneurs qui peuvent marquer à la postérité
l'extrême satisfaction qui nous reste, et le souvenir que nous voulons
conserver de tout ce qu'il a faict pour la gloire de nos armes et pour le
soutien de nostre Estat; et comme nous ne pouvons en donner des marques
plus publiques et plus certaines qu'en prenant soin de sa sépulture, nous
avons voulu y pourvoir en telle sorte que le lieu où elle séroit, fust un
tesmoignage de la grandeur de ses services et de nostre reconnoissance;
c'est pourquoy, ayant résolu de faire bastir dans l'église de Saint-Denys une
chapelle pour la sépulture des rois et des princes de la branche royale de
Bourbon, nous voulons que, lorsqu'elle sera achevée, le corps de nostredit
cousin y soit transféré, pour y estre mis en lieu honorable, suivant l'ordre
que nous en donnerons; et cependant nous avons permis à nos cousins le
cardinal et le duc de Bouillon, ses neveux, de mettre son corps en dépost
dans la chapelle de Saint-Eustache de ladite église de Saint-Denys, et d'y
eslever un monument à la mémoire de leur oncle, suivant les desseins qui
en ont esté arrestez; c'est de quoy nous avons bien voulu vous donner avis,
et vous dire en mesme temps que nous voulons que vous exécutiez ce qui
est en cela de nostre volonté, en faisant mettre ledit corps dans la cave de
ladite chapelle et en laissant la liberté aux ouvriers de travailler audit
monument jusqu'à son entière perfection. Si n'y faictes fautes; car tel est
nostre plaisir. Donné à Saint-Germain en Laye, le XXIIe jour de Novembre
1675. Signé, Louis. Et plus bas, Colbert. Et sur le reply: A nos chers et amez
les abbé, prieur et religieux de l'abbaye royale de Saint-Denys, en France."
The projected Bourbon chapel was never built, and the Revolution found
the monument of Turenne in the same chapel, that of S. Eustache, whence it
was trundled out as late as April, 1796, and transported to the Petits-
Augustins; for up to that time Turenne, not being a royal person, had been
left in peace. The demolition of the tombs seems to have gone on fitfully
from 1793 to 1795, as a little diversion between more exciting events. After
the emigration of the nobility in 1790; the flight of the King to Varennes,
and his false swearing to uphold the constitution in 1792; and his treachery
in carrying on a correspondence with the enemies at the frontier; the

popular anger waxed strong, and led to the storming of the Tuileries on the
10th August,[23] which event was to be celebrated the next year by the
demolition of the tombs of S. Denis. Louis XVI. had paid the penalty of his
crimes; and like his forerunner, Charles I., had shown that if he did not
know how to live, he at least had learnt how to die; but his ancestors had
got off scot-free. Why should they be allowed to rest peacefully, what
remained of them? Besides, lead was wanted for ammunition; and, just as
the church bells were in requisition for guns, and gold and silver vessels for
coinage, so the leaden coffins and roofs of churches could be melted up into
cannon balls. Imagine the stampede of Parisians along that paved road that
led from Paris to S. Denis. Only the other day, when the trams were
instituted, were those great rough stones taken up. At Versailles you may
still see the like, the paved part of the road very much curved, with mud
paths on each side—side walks for the people, while the centre pavement
was reserved for the quality. They radiate from the palace, and enabled the
"Roi Soleil" to visit his satellites at Bellevue, the Trianon, Meudon, and S.
Germain, without danger of his lumbering coach sticking in the mire, to
which he and his belonged. Many must have been the journeys from the
capital to S. Denis, which the decree of the Convention sanctioned—
journeys accompanied by crowbars and pickaxes for the better destruction
of the tombs. It was a ghastly idea, but in no wise an exaggerated revenge
for the kingly brutalities perpetrated upon the living bodies of Ravaillac,
Damiens, and such like canaille.[24] We have a full account of the whole
affair from the pen of an eye-witness, one Dom Poirier, the custodian of the
archives of the monastery, who was present when the commission carried
out the decree of the Convention of the 31st July, 1793. The report of this
commission is so curious that I will quote it in full. After assigning to the
children of Louis le conspirateur[25] the portion of simple citizens, Barrère
continued as to the proposed arrangements to be carried out at "la
Franciade": "Enfin, le comité a pensé que, pour célébrer la journée du 10
août, qui a abattu le trône, il fallait, dans son anniversaire, détruire les
mausolées fastueux qui sont à Saint-Denis. Dans la monarchie, les
tombeaux même avaient appris à flatter les rois. L'orgueil et le faste royal
ne pouvaient s'adoucir sur ce théâtre de la mort; et les porte-sceptre qui ont
fait tant de maux à la France et à l'humanité semblent encore, même dans la
tombe, s'enorgueillir d'une grandeur évanouie. La main puissante de la
république doit effacer impitoyablement ces épitaphes superbes et démolir

ces mausolées qui rappeleraient des rois l'effrayant souvenir." Thereupon a
discussion ensued. One member suggested that the nation being in peril,
and wanting guns to carry on its defence, a commission should proceed to
Franciade, otherwise S. Denis, in order to commence "l'exhumation des ci-
devant rois et reines, princes et princesses, dont les corps étaient renfermés
dans les caveaux de cette église." Their coffins were to be broken, the lead
and the bronze to be melted up, and sent to the arsenals for conversion into
arms and munitions of war. The former Benedictine Dom Poirier was
nominated commissioner for the Institut, and ordered to be present at the
performance. Some days after, the Moniteur triumphantly records the
commencement of the business. Then there must have been a lull, for on the
7th September the Conventionnel Lequinio cried from the Tribune: "Je
dénonce l'inexécution du décret qui ordonne l'entière démolition des
tombeaux de nos anciens tyrans à Saint-Denis. Sans doute, en détruisant ces
restes du despotisme, il faut conserver les monuments des arts; mais il faut
qu'au lieu d'être des objets d'idolâtrie, il ne servent plus qu'à nourrir
l'admiration des amis des arts, l'émulation et le génie des artistes."
The notes taken by Dom Poirier are full of interesting details, told with a
certain naïveté; as, for instance, "in the morning, after dinner, they
descended into the tomb." Or "early in the morning they began the work,
but left off while they went to déjeûner." It must be remembered, also (to
quote M. Guilhermy), that the destruction "des tombeaux et l'extraction des
corps ont été deux opérations distinctes. Au mois d'août, 1793, pour
célébrer l'anniversaire de la victoire du peuple (10 août), on fit disparaître
de l'église la plupart des tombeaux et des statues; mais le temps pressait, on
ne profana que les restes déposés dans les massifs des monuments. Au mois
d'octobre, on acheva l'œuvre commencée, en fouillant toutes les fosses et
tous les caveaux qu'il fut possible de retrouver. On n'épargna ni le temps ni
les recherches."
The work went on merrily. Marble tombs were smashed up as effectually
as the bodies, which were thrown into a pit dug upon the site of the
demolished Orléans chapel. Quick-lime helped the business as far as the
kings were concerned, but to the assistants it was of no use; and so they had
recourse to the burning of strong smelling powders, and the firing of guns,
in order to purify the air. Here is one of Dom Poirier's notes:—
"Nota.—Rièn n'a été remarquable dans l'extraction des cercueils faite dans la journée du mardi
15 Octbre, 1793: la plupart de ces corps étaient en putréfaction; il en sortait une vapeur noire et

épaisse, d'une odeur infecte, qu'on chassait à force de vinaigre et de poudre qu'on eut la précaution de
brûler; ce qui n'empêcha pas les ouvriers de gagner des dévoiements et des fièvres, qui n'ont pas eu
de mauvaises suites."

What say the modern sanitary authorities to that!

The body of Henri IV. was found in a perfect state of preservation; and he was kept some time in
the church lying-in-state, as it were, while a cast was taken of his face; but it may be noted that Dom
Poirier makes no allusion to the story of a soldier cutting off his beard and sticking it on his own
face.

The names of the princes and princesses were engraved upon little brass
plates attached to the covers of the coffins; and a few years ago three or
four of these brasses were found in the shop of a coppersmith, that of Louis
XIV. having served as the bottom of a stewpan. How are the mighty fallen!
Let me quote some more of Dom Poirier's jottings:—
Remarques.—In Charles V.'s coffin they found a crown in silver, gilt, in a good state of
preservation, a hand of justice of silver, a sceptre 5 feet in length surmounted with acanthus leaves in
silver, exquisitely gilt, the gold possessing all its freshness and brilliancy. "Ce sceptre était surmonté
d'un bouquet en feuillage, an milieu duquel s'élevait une grappe de corymbe, ce qui lui donne à peu
prés la forme d'un thyrse, tel qu'on en voit dans Monfaucon, article de sceptres; morceau d'orfévrerie
assez bien travaillé pour son époque." (Alexandre Lenoir, Musée des Monuments français.)
"Remarque. Une singularité de l'embaumement du corps de Charles VII., c'est qu'on y avait
parsemé du vif-argent, qui avait conservé toute sa fluidité. On a observé la même singularité dans
quelques autres embaumements de corps du XIVe et du XVe siècles."

The following may interest some persons:—
"Le mercredi, 16 Octobre, 1793.
"Towards 7 o'clock in the morning the work was continued in the vault of the Bourbons. They
began with the coffin of Henriette Marie, daughter of Henri IV. and wife of the unfortunate Charles
I., King of England, d. in 1669, aged 60;[26] and continued with Anne Stuart, her daughter, the wife
of Monsieur, only brother of Louis XIV. d. in 1670, aged 26."

The body of Louis VIII., the father of S. Louis, had almost disappeared.
A cross was sculptured upon the lid of the stone coffin; in it was found a
sceptre of rotten wood, and a skull-cap of satin surrounded by a band of
gold woven stuff, forming a diadem. The body had been enveloped in a
winding sheet of gold tissue, some pieces of which were in a good state of
preservation.
Remarques.—His body thus enveloped had been sewn up in a strong
leather covering.[27] "Il est vraisemblable qu'on ne l'a fait pour lui que pour
que son cadavre n'exhalât pas au dehors de mauvaise odeur, dans le
transport qu'on en fit de Montpensier en Auvergne, où il mourut à son
retour de la guerre contre les Albigeois."
"Ce cuir avait conservé toute son élasticité.... Dans les fouilles de Saint-
Germain-des-Près, on trouva un corps également enveloppé dans un cuir.
(Alexandre Lenoir, Musée des Monuments Français.) Nous pourrions citer

quelques autres exemples. Les corps de plusieurs princes de la maison des
Plantagenets, au douzième siècle, furent apportés à Rouen, cousus dans une
enveloppe de cuir; c'étaient ceux de Henry I., de Henry-le-Jeune, de
Richard-Cœur-de-Lion. Hugues de Grantemaisnil, mort à Londres en 1098,
ayant demandé à être inhumé à l'abbaye de Saint-Évrould, en Normandie,
son corps y fut transféré salé, et cousu dans une peau de bœuf. Enfin on sait
que saint Bernard fut enseveli dans un sac de cuir" (v. B. de Peterborough;
Orderic Vital; Histoire de Saint Bernard, &c.) (Guilhermy).
There are notes upon the height of François I., by Alexandre Lenoir:—
"Le corps de François I^{er.} portait une taille extraordinaire et une structure très-forte; l'un des
fémurs de ce prince que j'ai mesuré portait 53c (20 pouces) des condiles à la tête de l'os." And upon
the beauty of another gentleman's locks: "Le connétable Louis de Sancerre avait de forts beaux
cheveux; lors de l'exhumation des corps à St Denis, il fut trouvé ayant encore trois longues tresses
d'environ 40 centimètres" (Alex. Lenoir).

The procès-verbal makes no mention of the heart of Cardinal de
Bourbon, nor of the graves of Châtillon and the Marquis de Saint-Maigrin,
nor of the abbots, and grand priors; their remains probably still rest in the
soil under the church, for vaults have several times been discovered in all
parts during the restorations of the building. It will be seen that the amount
of valuables found was not great: Five silver-gilt and five copper-gilt
crowns, two silver-gilt sceptres, four of copper-gilt, and three of wood; one
silver hand of justice, one silver-gilt, and one broken; (the bâton d'ebêne
was possibly the stem of a hand of justice belonging to Charles le Bel); the
upper part of a crozier; four rings, two silver and two gold; the silver seal of
Constance of Castille bearing the effigy of the princess and an inscription
(now in the Bibliothèque); remains of spindles and distaffs; four chains of
bracelets; two clasps and a silver buckle; a good many fragments of stuffs,
tissues, and embroideries; a winding-sheet of gold tissue, a silver one; a
chasuble; a satin belt; shoes; a Carmelite habit, and some gold thread. What
became of these things, many of them of no value but for a museum, is not
known.
Such was the result of this disgusting entertainment, which was
principally a search for valuables to keep up the struggle for life. Empty
coffers, starving multitudes, an enemy crying at the frontier; such was the
legacy left by the wanton waste of a profligate court, and a debased race of
kings. The terrible revenge which followed did them little harm; could they
have been made to suffer in their life-time, it would have been better than

mauling about their dead bodies and rummaging in their tombs; but
unfortunately the last of the race was the least guilty, although he had much
heartlessness and treachery to answer for; and had he felt the storm which
had been threatening for some time, the hurricane might have passed over.
But selfishness is always blind; and so the flood carried the poor thing
away; and the skeletons, the lead, the gold and the silver, were all swept
into their respective lime-strewn pits and melting pots. Here is the epilogue.
In 1815 the "Sous-préfet et le maire de Saint-Denis firent élever un tertre
couvert de gazon, de lis et de cyprès sur les deux fosses dans lesquelles
avaient été jetés les restes des rois et des princes." (Gilbert, Description
historique de l'église de Saint-Denis.) "On se proposait d'ériger en ce lieu
un monument expiatoire; mais il parut plus convenable de réintègrer dans
l'église les ossements que les deux fosses contenaient encore." (Guilhermy.)
The metal of the monuments, with the exception of two enamelled brass
slabs which came from Royaumont, was all melted up. In the Moniteur of
14th August, 1792, may be read a list of the tombs destroyed, furnished by
the town of S. Denis. The monument of Charles le Chauve must have been
magnificent. The effigy of the emperor reposed on a slab supported by four
lions. Two Angels censed the defunct; and four bishops sat at the corners.
We know the style of tomb from the description given by Richer, a monk of
Sénone, who wrote a chronicle during the reign of S. Louis, and who saw it
soon after it was set up. Charles had been a great patron of the abbey and
had given it the Holy Nail and a thorn from the Holy Crown, besides part of
the course of the Seine and the domain of Ruel.
The tomb of "la noble royne de france Marguerite qui fu fame
monseigneur Sainct Loys, jadis roy de France" is engraved in Montfaucon's
Monuments de la Monarchie française. The tomb of Arnaud de Guilhem,
seigneur de Barbazan, was canopied, the warrior being represented in full
armour. The whole was in bronze, with an inscription, at the end of which
was the name of the artist: fait à paris par Jehan Morant.
The monument of Charles VIII. was of gilt copper. The king's effigy,
praying, was upon the platform, with little Angels at the corners also
kneeling and holding shields. Charles VIII. died of apoplexy, at Amboise,
praying, "Mon Dieu et la glorieuse Vierge, Monseigneur saint Claude, et
Monseigneur saint Blaise me soient en ayde." He was a pious king and had
been holding "quelques discours spirituels avec la reyne et autres assistans,"
when he was struck down, being only twenty-eight years of age. His tomb

was said to be the finest in the choir. He was regretted by all his subjects
"spécialement de ses domestiques," for he was generous, magnanimous, and
decorated with all kingly virtues. The queen was much afflicted, and
thought she would die of grief, "demeurant deux jours et deux nuicts sans
reposer ny prendre aucun aliment." Thus Dom Millet. Philippe de
Commynes says the chamberlains "le feirent ensevelir fort richement, et sur
l'heure luy commencea le service, qui jamais ne failloit ne jour ne nuict."
For a whole month the chamberlains and others watched the corpse, the
entire expense amounting to "quarante-cinq mil francs." The tomb was the
work of Paganini of Modena, no doubt one of the "ouvriers excellens en
plusieurs ouvraiges comme tailleurs et painctres" whom the king brought
from Naples,[28] together with a large collection of works of art, for the
carriage of which, and for "la nourriture de XXII. hommes de mestier, de
XXXIII. jours à la raison de XL. sous par jour," the king had to pay his
tapissier ordinaire 1594 livres; the collection weighing 87,000 livres.
Many marble tombs were also destroyed, some canopied, some resting
upon columns, others recumbent, the fragments of which were built up into
a pedestal for a figure of Liberty in the Place d'armes opposite the church, a
barbarous proceeding, surely; but forget not that the slabs and broken tombs
in our old burial grounds are treated much in the same fashion, and piled up
into pyramids to ornament the gardens. The transportation of what was
saved from the wreck to Paris was no mean work. Think of the huge
monument of François I., and about eighty statues! The Convention had no
cash to spend upon art; with its fourteen armies defending the frontiers, it
had enough expense without paying for the carriage of monuments and such
like. And so Lenoir conceived the idea of stopping the military as they
returned with empty waggons. Arrived in Paris the difficulties did not end.
Statues were chopped about to enable them to fill certain spaces in the
museum of the Petits-Augustins, recumbent figures found themselves
standing upright; fragments of one tomb were taken to decorate another.
But taking it all in all, the museum arranged by Lenoir must have been very
imposing. The magnificent tomb of François I. stood in a chapel of the
church, now occupied by casts of the works of Michael-Angelo. Louis XII.
had a place of honour in another salle. But no sooner was all arranged,
indeed before the huge Henri II. monument had been set up, a royal decree
of 16th December, 1816, ordered the museum to be closed, the building to
be turned into the École des Beaux-Arts, and all the kings and queens to be

marched back to S. Denis and the other
churches whence they came. So swiftly was
the order carried out, that the poor old
sovereigns became still more mutilated; some
were stowed away in the cellars, others were
re-erected upon principles of the greatest
economy. If the revolutionists tore down the
monuments, the restored monarchists did not
take the trouble to set them up again; and
those who went to study art in the new
schools were enabled to see the respect with
which Mediæval art was treated. Statues,
canopies, columns, were tossed about
anywhere; until Louis XVIII. decided that
they should be reinstated at S. Denis. Then
strange things occurred. The effigies were
matched indiscriminately, and every king was
placed by the side of a queen, whether his
own or another's. Hence "singuliers incestes
de pierre, et des adultères de marbre de la pire
espèce. On n'imaginerait jamais ce qui se
commit d'immoralités archéologiques sous les
voutes obscures de Saint-Denis."[29] The
monuments were all arranged, museum
fashion, in the crypt until our own day, when
they were once again removed, and replaced MONUMENT OF FRANÇOIS
in their old positions in the church, to be left, Ier.
let us hope, at last in peace.
The following is a list of the monuments returned to S. Denis:

Monuments formerly at S. Denis 52
" from S. Germain-des-Près 6
" " Notre-Dame de Corbeil 2
" " S. Geneviève 1
" " S. Catherine-du-Val 2
" " des Cordeliers 3
" " des Jacobins 7
" " des Célestins 12

" " des Minimes 2
" " des Grands-Jésuites 1
" " l'abbaye de Royaumont 6
" " l'abbaye de Maubuisson 2
" " l'abbaye de Poissy 1
" " l'abbaye de Notre-Dame à Soissons 1
" " l'abbaye de Haute Bruyère 1
" " la collégiale de Saint-Cloud 2
" of origin unknown 13
" new or made up of fragments 53
167

TOMB OF LOUIS XII., AND COLUMN OF FRANÇOIS II.

By far the most beautiful tomb is that of Louis XII. "Sur le lieu de la
sépulture de Louis XII. et de la reyne Anne, le roy François leur gendre et
successeur à la couronne, leur à fait dresser un très-somptueux mausolée de
fin marbre blanc, à deux estages, qui est une des belles pièces de l'Europe,
pour ne pas dire la plus belle."[30] Dom Jacques Doublet and Germain
Millet both attributed the work to Ponzio; but Félibien, reading a passage in
a Latin commentary printed by Jean Brèche in 1550, discovered the true
author: "Voyez le monument" (says Brèche) "de marbre consacré à Louis
XII., travaillé avec un artifice admirable et plein d'élégance, dans notre très-
illustre cité de Tours, par Jean Juste, statuaire du plus grand talent." The
discovery of an order for payment of 400 écus to Juste in a letter from the
king to Cardinal Duprat, sets the matter at rest if the date of Ponzio's arrival
did not also do so.[31] The tomb was taken to S. Denis in 1527; whereas
Ponzio did not arrive in France until about 1530. This way of attributing all
that is good in art to Italy was formerly very common. Even in our own
time all branches of French art were looked upon by our fathers as frivolous
and trivial. Italian Renaissance was trivial enough, but French Renaissance
utterly meretricious. To the insane worshippers of the "Gothic style," it
alone was pure. The sumptuous grandiosities of Louis XIV. were tolerable,
because they aimed at being Classic. The portico of the Panthéon or the
colonnade of the Louvre were considered fine; but the elegancies of Jean
Goujon were wanting in severity. Even Watteau, though admitted to be
graceful, was "meretricious"; Berlioz amongst musicians was only "noisy
and claptrap;" and sculpture and architecture were criticised in like manner.
And yet the designs upon the tomb of Louis XII., especially the pilasters
which support the canopy, could not be surpassed in beauty by the artists of
any country. Jean Juste, Philibert Delorme, Jean Goujon, Michel Colomb,
Jean Cousin, and Germain Pilon formed a group of men scarcely surpassed
by Sansovino, Riccio, Desiderio da Settignano and the Rossellini. The
Italians led the way, but the French proved themselves very apt pupils.
It is not my intention to describe the tomb of Louis XII., or, indeed, any
of the others, minutely. Descriptions without illustrations are mostly dry
and dreary. Nor have I tried to illustrate the details of ornament in the
churches or their contents—in a book of this size it would be impossible;
my aim has rather been to give the general effect of their styles; of their
everyday appearance; of the life which goes on in and around them; and of
the position, especially in the case of S. Denis, of their tombs and furniture.

A large photograph and a magnifying glass will show the beauty of the
sculpture of the tombs far better than any drawing of mine; for such
subjects photography is unique. But for artistic effect, for general
impressions of buildings it mostly fails, and all artists will agree with me
that, for some reason or other, photographs of buildings seem generally to
have been taken from the worst point of view, and are nearly always
wanting in impressiveness.

TOMB OF HENRI II. AND CATHERINE DE MEDICI.

Jean Juste had a brother Antoine, and they seem together to have been
the authors of the beautiful tomb of the children of Charles VIII. at Tours;

of the fountain called de Beaune, also at Tours; of the two monuments of
the famille Gaudin; and the tomb of the général des finances, Thomas
Bohier. In 1530, one Juste de Just, tailleur en marbre, living at Tours
received 102 livres 10 sous from the king for a Hercules and a Leda. This
Juste was probably the same as Jean. The bas-reliefs round the base of
Louis XII.'s tomb represent various campaigns of the king; the figures at the
four corners are the Cardinal Virtues, those within the arcades are the
twelve Apostles. Within are the king and queen, entirely nude, lying upon a
mattress in the last agony of death; while above, upon the platform, they are
praying before a cushioned faldstool, for their own departed souls. Such is
the motive of this and the other two tombs of the same character, those of
Henri II. and François Ier.
The former of these is the work of Germain Pilon, and was originally
placed under the dome of Philibert Delorme's magnificent chapel erected
for the Valois family. It is of marble with bronze figures. The king and
queen pray upon the housetop; at each end are openings through which are
to be seen the figures of the defunct in the sleep of death. The terrible side
of death, which is prominent in the expression on the faces of Louis XII.
and his queen, is here absent; and Catherine is represented young and
beautiful as she appeared at the death of her husband, whom she survived
thirty years. At the four corners are bronze figures of the Cardinal Virtues;
and the kneeling figures of the sovereigns upon the canopy are also in
bronze. The tomb has always been justly esteemed as a magnificent work,
and even Bernini admired it. "Le cavalier Bernin," says Sauval, "a admiré
le tombeau de Valois, qui voulait ne rien trouver de passable en France."
The Virtues ornament this tomb also, and present a note-worthy point for
Total Abstainers, the figure of Temperance bears two cups; can this be
meant for wine as well as water? or for two sorts of water, aërated and
mineral?
When the tomb was reconstructed it was found that many of the marbles
had antique sculptures upon the back, showing that they had been taken
from works of Classic origin.
The monument of François Ier. and Claude de France is the largest of
these splendid tombs. It was erected about 1552 by Philibert Delorme with
the assistance of several sculptors. Pierre Bontems was the author of the
bas-reliefs upon the stylobate and some of the kneeling figures upon the
canopy; Germain Pilon sculptured the statues of children under the canopy,

allegorically representing Fortune, and Ambroise Perret, the Four
Evangelists; while the details of ornament were the work of Jacques
Chantrel, Bastien Galles, Pierre Bigoigne, and Jean de Bourges. The
recumbent figures have been attributed to Jean Goujon, from the
exceptional beauty of the workmanship, but without any positive proof. The
tomb is of white marble, with a little black and grey introduced for some of
the mouldings; the bas-reliefs represent the king's campaigns in Italy. In the
bas-reliefs of the Louis XII. monument many of the costumes are more
Roman than French; but those upon the tomb of François Ier. are treated
with more historical truth, and represent the fashion of the day. The faces of
the recumbent statues are beautifully modelled; that of the queen bearing an
expression of the sanctity with which she was accredited.
S. Denis is rich in columns erected as memorials, often bearing urns
upon the top containing some worthy heart. That of François II. was
formerly at the church of the Célestins. It is the work of Germain Pilon, and
was considered by Sauval and "les habiles gens" to be as beautiful as the
"Three Graces" or "Charités" which bore the urn containing the heart of
Henri II. The pedestal is triangular, of white marble; so, too, are the three
little Genii who guard the corners. One weeps for the defunct; the other two
seem to take the matter philosophically. The shaft of the column is dotted
over with flames, said to be symbolic of the pillar of fire which marched
before the Hebrews; may they not rather mean the flames of purgatory?[32]
The gilt bronze urn which formerly surmounted it, and the winged child
holding a crown, were both consigned to the melting pot. This column was
an act of fraternal homage on the part of Charles IX.
The column of Henri III. was originally erected in the church of S. Cloud
by the secretary of Henri III., Charles Benoise. The shaft is of red marble,
twisted, with ivy twirling round it—the work of Barthélemy Prieur.
The column of the Cardinal Louis de Bourbon formerly bore the effigy
of the great man, if honours and emoluments can make a man great. He was
naturally a peer; bishop of Laon, of Saintes, of Mans, of Luçon, and of
Tréguier; archbishop of Sens; abbot of S. Denis, of Corbie, of Saint-
Vincent-de-Laon, of Saint-Faron-de-Meaux, of Ainay, of Saint-Amand, of
Saint-Crépin-le-Grand, of Soissons, and of Saint-Serge. And yet some
people profess to be scandalised at the excesses of the unprivileged classes!

The cardinal was, however, a great patron of art;
at Sens and at Laon, monuments testify to this and
all his other magnificences. His body was buried in
the cathedral of Laon; the Benedictines of S. Denis
only having succeeded in obtaining his heart. The
column, like many other beautiful works of art, is
by an unknown artist. It is of red marble with a
white alabaster base and capital, which is
exquisitely sculptured with little figures of children
bathed in foliage.
The history of some of the recumbent statues of
the kings is curious. Having been made to lie down,
they were, after the dispersal of the Musée des
Monuments Français, stuck up against the wall of
the crypt; and others were rebaptised and renamed.
Thus, at the museum, Charles V. and Jeanne de
Bourbon became S. Louis and Marguerite de
Provence; and so named, when they were trotted
back to S. Denis, they received the homage of the
faithful. To make matters worse, a copy of S. Louis'
statue was sent to Tunis for the church which was
built in memory of the saint, and the head became
the authentic type for his portraits. The same may
COLUMN OF HENRI III.
be said of the false Marguerite; she wears a
costume more than a hundred years too late.
The elaborately enamelled brass slabs of the
children of S. Louis, Jean and Blanche, came from Royaument. The design
is rude, but the colouring good; the figures are in relief upon a ground
incrusted in enamel; the heads and hands, the lions at the feet, and the
Angels swinging censers are of polished brass; while the feet and the
draperies are in coloured enamel. To see these brasses, permission must be
obtained from the architect of the church, as they are upon one side of the
High Altar, a part which is not generally shown to ordinary visitors. The
motto upon the tomb of Jean is as follows:
HIC JACET: IOANNES: EXCELLENTISSIMI LVD
ovici regis francorum filius qui in etate infancie migra

VIT AD XPM ANNO GRACIE: MILLESI
MO: DVCENTESSIMO: QVADRAGESIMO: SEPTIMO: SEXTO: IDVS: MARTII
The body of Turenne did not have much peace after it was routed out of
its tomb. Not being royal, it was put aside in a chapel until the Convention
should decide its fate; when thinking so great a man a worthy object as a
specimen of natural history, and deeming it profitable for students of
various "ologies," it was put into a glass case by the side of stuffed birds,
bottled snakes, criminal curiosities, and monstrosities. Then it was
transferred to the Petits-Augustins, where it found a niche to repose in; but
when Consuls reigned supreme, it was marched with great pomp, with
drums and guns and all the paraphernalia of a military funeral, to the church
of the Invalides, where it was placed in its old house or the remains of it
rebuilt—the S. Denis tomb. The epitaphs of some of the Kings remain, or
have been restored:—
ICY GIST LE ROY CHARLES LE QUINT SAGES
ET ELOQUENT FILS DU ROY IEHAN QUI REGNA SEIZE ANS CINQ MOIS ET SEPT JOURS ET TRESPASSA L'AN DE
GRACE MCCCLXXX LE XVI^E JOUR DE SEPTEMBRE.
ICI GIST LE ROY CHARLES SIXIESME TRES AME LARGE ET DEBONNAIRE FILS DU ROY CHARLES LE QUINT
E
QUI REGNA QUARANTE ET II ANS UNG MOIS ET SIX JOURS ET TRESPASSA LE XXI JOUR DOCTOBRE LAN MIL
CCCC VINGT ET DEUX: PRIES DIEU QUEN PARADIX SOIT SON AME:
CY GIST LA ROYNE ISABEL DE BAUIERE ESPOUSE DU ROY CHARLES VIE ET FILLE DE TRES PUISSANT
PNCE ESTIENNE DUC DE BAUIERE COTE PALATIN DU RIN QUI REGNA AUEC SOND ESPOUS ET TRESPASSA LAN
M: CCCC ET XXXV LE DERNIER JOUR DE SEPTEMBRE: PRIES DIEU POUR ELLE:
CY GIST LE ROY CHARLES SEPTIESME TRES GLORIEUX VICTORIEUX ET BIEN SERUY FILS DU ROY
CHARLES SIXIESMES: QUI REGNA TRENTE NEUF ANS NEUF MOIS ET I JOUR ET TRESPASSA LE JOUR DE LA
E
MAGDELAINE XXVII JOUR DE JUILLET LA M: CCCCLXI: PRIES POUR LUY:
ICY GIST LA ROYNE JEHANNE DE BOURBON ESPOUSE DU ROY CHARLES LE QUINT ET FILLE DE TRES
NOBLE PRINCE MONS^R PIERRE DUC DE BOURBON QUI REGNA AUĒC̄ Q̄ S SONE ESPOUS XIII ANS ET DIX MOIS
ET TSPĀSSA PASSA LA M: CCCLXXVII LE DERN JOUR DE F̄ ĒUER
CY GIST LA ROYNE MARIE FILLE DU ROY DE SICILE DUC DANIOU ESPOUSE DU ROY CHARLES VII^E QUI
REGNA AUECQS̄ S̄ OND ESPX ET TRESPASSA LE PENULTIESME JOUR DE NOUEMBRE LAN MIL: CCCCLXIII: PRIES
DIEU POUR ELLE.

After the restoration of the tombs a tablet was set up to the memory of
Jeanne-d'Arc, bearing the representation of some armour of the 16th
century, and the following epitaph:—
CE QUE ESTAIT LE HARNAIS DE JEHANNE PAR ELLE BAILLE EN HOMMAGE A MONSEIGNEUR SAINCT
DENIS.

Several portraits of the great Abbot Suger existed in Dom Millet's time:
"On voit encores aujourd'huy en la partie supérieure de l'église Saint-Denis

que nous nommons le chevet, une vieille tapisserie où le roy Louis VII. est
représenté avec les habits royaux, et la couronne en teste, qui donne son
sceptre et sa main de justice au susdit abbé Sugere représenté en habit
pontifical, et au-dessus y a une inscription contenant ceste escriture: Lud.
rex franc Suggerium abbatem et reaedificatorem hujus templi, viceregem
constituit, anno 1140. Mais le tapissier, ou ceux qui ont fourny le mémoire
se sont trompez; car ceste commission ne fut donnée à Sugère que l'an
1147, auquel an le roy partit de France, au mois d'aoust, pour un voyage de
la Terre-Sainte."
"Il y a en ceste royale abbaye plusieurs figures de l'abbé Sugère, deux
desquelles sont en veue à toutes personnes. L'un est sur l'un des battans de
la grande porte de l'église,[33] l'autre en une vitre de la Chapelle Notre-
Dame, en la partie supérieure que nous nommons le chevet[34]. Il est
représenté en tous les deux endroits, non revestu d'un rochet ou d'un camail,
non avec la perruque ou le bonnet carré sur la teste, mais au plus simple
habit et en la plus humble posture, qu'on puisse représenter un pauvre
religieux, scavoir est avec un froc plissé[35] (approchant fort de celuy dont
nous usons maintenant) et la tonsure monacale, couché à plate terre; en la
vitre, devant une image de la sacrée Vierge, avec ces mots: Suggerius
abbas; sur la porte, devant l'image de Notre-Sauveur, assis à table avec les
pélerins d'Emmaüs. Il n'a en l'une ny en l'autre figure aucune marque qui le
puisse distinguer d'avec le moindre novice de son monastère, sinon la
crosse abbatiale qu'il tient d'une main, pour marque de sa dignité, et pour
monstrer que c'est luy qui est là représenté."
"Or, comme il est très-certain que c'est luy-mesme qui a fait faire ces
figures, aussi est-il très-asseuré qu'il n'avoit garde de les faire représenter en
autre habit que celuy qu'il portoit publiquement et continuellement,
spécialement depuis la réformation; car autrement c'eust par une hypocrisie
trop grossière se sacrifier à la risée de tout le monde." This description of
the portrait is most interesting; we can see the great abbot as Dom Millet
paints him upon the glass which he himself devised, if he did not absolutely
design it.
The tomb of Dagobert is an enormous canopied structure, originally of
the 13th century, but so much restored that it is practically modern.
Dagobert died in 638, and was embalmed and buried in the church of his
foundation; but of the style of this first tomb we have no knowledge
whatever. Of the existing tomb, the principal part is the legendary history of

the king taken from the "Gesta Dagoberti,"
told in three alto-reliefs. Below these, the
king sleeps upon his left side in a rather
uncomfortable fashion; standing on one side
is his wife Nantilde, or Nantechilde; on the
other, one of his sons, Clovis II. or Sigebert.
At the apex of the arch is Our Lord giving
the benediction, with SS. Martin and Denis
on each side. These two saints, with S.
Maurice, had the kindness to hear the prayers
of Dagobert, when he was held in bondage
by devils, during a voyage in a boat, on the
waters of the great gulf fixed between
Abraham and Hades. The story was told by a
hermit to Ansoald, on his way back from TOMB OF DAGOBERT.
Sicily, and by the 9th century had been
worked up into a fact, as it is mentioned in a
letter from Louis le Débonnaire to Hilduin, abbot of S. Denis. May it not
have been originally a dovetailing together of the story of Charon and le
bon roy Dagobert, a mélange of Classic myth and Christian legend which
was very common in the early centuries of the Christian era? The
sculptures, although, as regards the drapery, sufficiently graceful, are very
curious and quaint, especially the boat and its contents. The three saints
coming to the rescue, Dagobert pressing the hand of the foremost, the
discomforted demons, and the soul of the king standing upon a napkin held
by S. Denis and S. Martin, are all vigorous to a degree, if somewhat rude;
but the Angels round the voussure carrying censers, are charming. In the
account of the legend given by Guillaume de Nangis, quoted by Alexandra
Lenoir, we seem to have another reading of the opening part of the story of
Job. "Mais monseigneur saint Denis, qui n'oblia mie son bon amy le roy
Dagobert, requist à Nostre Seigneur Jesus-Crist qui luy donast congié d'aler
secourre la dicte ame; laquelle chose comme Nostre Seigneur luy eust
ottroié, sainct Denis s'en ala et mena avecques luy Sainct Morise et aultres
amys que le roy Dagobert avoit moult honorés en sa vie, et avecques eulx
orent des anges qui les conduirent jusques en la mer, et quant ils vindrent là
où les deables tenoient et ammenoient à grant feste l'ame du roy Dagobert,
si le misrent entre eulx et se combattirent encontre les deables". It was all

done because of Monseigneur S. Denis' love of "le bon roy," who had
founded the abbey in honour of the martyr; and if you doubt these facts, and
"ne me croyez, alez à Sainct-Denis en France, en l'église, et regardez devant
l'autel où l'en chante tous les jours la grant messe, là où le roy Dagobert
gist. La verrez vous audessus de luy ce que vous ay dit, pourtrait et de noble
euvre richement enluminée." From this, there can be no doubt that the
whole mass of sculpture was originally coloured; indeed, a close inspection
shows a little still visible in the folds of the drapery. Lenoir, whose
depreciation of Mediæval sculpture as compared to that of the Renaissance
was considerable, speaks of the draped figures as pour le style comme pour
le goût, comparable aux belles inventions de Raphaël.
Upon the platform of the apse is the mosaic effigy of Frédégonde, not
earlier than the 12th century. It is composed of a stone slab of the form of
the early stone coffins. The design is marked out by thin bands of metal
between which are incrustations of very small pieces of porphyry,
serpentine, and white marble. This, like several of the early tombs, was
originally in the abbey of S. Germain-des-Près.
The central part of the crypt was formerly the depository for the relics—
a sort of sanctuary dedicated to S. Démètre. Another part of the crypt
became the burial place of the Bourbon family. All the princes were buried
in vaults underneath their tombs. "Tous le roys, reynes et autres
ensépulturez à Saint-Denys reposent dans les caveaux qui sont sous leurs
tombeaux, sans qu'il y en ait aucun ailleurs, ce que je dis pour désabuser
plusieurs personnes (mesmes des gens de qualité) qui s'imaginent qu'il y ait
une grande cave dans laquelle sont tous les roys, en chair et en os, et
demandent qu'on la leur monstre, dont je me suis souventefois estonné, veu
mesme que plusieurs qui vivent encores ont peu voir mettre les cinq
derniers roys décédéz non en ceste cave imaginaire, mais dans le tombeau
des Vallois, sçavoir, Henry II. et ces trois fils, et Henry IV., dans le caveau
commun des rois, où il est encore. On en peut dire autant de François Ier. et
de Louis XII., et de tous les autres; car quant à la grotte qui est sous le
chevet, il n'y a, ny eut jamais, corps ny sépulture d'aucune personne.[36] The
day of the funeral the body was placed in the vault, "sur des barres de fer,
devant une statue en marbre de Nostre-Dame." There it remained for a year,
after which it was deposited in the tomb of the sovereign's ancestors. This
curious arrangement became a custom by pure accident. Henri IV. not
having signified any desire as to his place of burial, was left in this vault,

"le caveau des cérémonies," while his widow and les Etats discussed the
question of erecting a monument; and thus, by force of habit, the
succeeding Bourbons being placed by the side of Henri, the "caveau"
became the mausoleum of the family. But the Bourbons were a prolific
race, and before very long the overcrowding became too great to admit of
any more inhabitants; so upon the burial of Marie-Thérèse, the wife of
Louis XIV., it was decided to tunnel a long passage to connect it with the
central part of the crypt. It was a difficult and dangerous proceeding: "On
perça," says Félibien, "par-dessous le chevet, à l'endroit où estoit une
ancienne chapelle de Saint-Démètre, un petit corridor de la largeur de trois
pieds sur sept de haut. Les ouvriers voûtoient à mesure qu'ils avançoient; et
dans le poursuite de leur ouvrage, ils découvrirent quelques tombeaux dont
on ne reconnut que celui de l'abbé Antoine de La Haye, par une inscription
qu'on y trouva. Enfin, après avoir poussé environ sept toises et demie, les
ouvriers arrivèrent à l'ancien caveau; de sorte qu'il a été aisé d'y joindre, par
ce corridor de communication, un caveau spécieux qui occupe aujourd'huy,
dessous le chevet, l'ancienne crypte où estoient autrefois les corps des saints
martyrs. La place est de neuf toises de long sur environ deux toises et demi
dans sa plus grande largeur." The new vault was consecrated the 31st
August, 1683. This accounts for the apparent want of an entrance to the
centre of the crypt; as all visitors to the church are aware, you look through
little apertures to the place where a few post-revolution burials have taken
place. I commend all these particulars, which exemplify the horrors of
burial above ground, with the rifling of tombs and coffins perpetrated by the
officers of the Convention, to the opposers of cremation. Had all these poor
royalties been converted into ashes, no such doings could have taken place.
The entrance to the Bourbon vaults still exists, close to the altar of S.
Maurice, to the right of the High Altar looking eastwards; but visitors enter
by some steps farther east, by the side of the ascent to the apse. It is a
miserably gloomy hole, with a few coffins upon trestles, shedding their
violet coverings. Can any sort of burial equal in horror this of open vaults?
The statues of the early kings were erected by S. Louis. Ordered by him
as commemorative effigies of his ancestors, it does not seem to have been
within the wit of the 13th century sculptors to vary the physiognomy of the
early sovereigns. Thus there is a strong likeness between Charles Martel[37]
and Pépin, and Louis and Carloman. There is a curious divergence in the
opinions passed upon Louis III. The chronicle of S. Denis calls him a "homs

plains de toutes ordures et toutes vanitez;" whereas the annals of Metz say,
"Tous les peuples des Gaules pleurèrent sa mort avec une extrème douleur.
Il fut en effet homme de rare mérite, et défendit courageusement et
virilement contre les incursions des payens le royaume qui lui était soumis."
So we see that it is not only the 19th century which vaunts and cries down a
man, according as he belongs to the political sheep or the goats.
Carloman, at his eighteen years, has the appearance of
a man of forty, and many years older than his brother. The
statue of Charlemagne's brother Carloman has had a queer
history. It was marched to the Petits-Augustins with the
rest, and there christened Charles le Chauve, but when
sent back to S. Denis it was rebaptised Henri I.
Hugues Capet was buried at S. Denis close to his
father, the great Hugues; his last words addressed to his
son Robert prove him to have been possessed of piety, a
proper notion of justice, and a large amount of common
sense. "Bon fils, je t'adjure, au nom de la sainte et
indivisible Trinité, de ne pas livrer ton âme aux conseils
des flatteurs et de ne pas écouter les vœux de leur
ambition, en leur faisant un don empoisonné de ces
abbayes que je te confie pour toujours. Je désire
également qu'il ne t'arrive point, conduit par la légèreté
d'esprit ou ému par la colère, de distraire ou enlever
quelque chose de leurs biens. Je te recommande surtout de
veiller à ce que, pour aucune raison, tu ne déplaises jamais
à leur chef commun, le grand saint Benoit, qui est un
accès certain auprès du souverain juge, un port de
tranquillité et un asile de sûreté après la sortie de la chair."
[38] His particular friends to whom he commends his son
are the Blessed Virgin, S. Benedict, S. Martin, S. Aignan,
and SS. Cornelius and Cyprian, and above all S.
Geneviève. Queen Adélaïde, like most Middle-Age ladies,
did much embroidering as she sat up in her tower, and
naturally S. Denis was her first thought. She gave the great statue of S.
Martin (I do not know in what part of the church this was placed) a
wondrous cope, embroidered between the shoulders with a "Pontife éternel"

and adoring Cherubim and Seraphim. In the front was the "Lamb of God"
and the Four Beasts of the Apocalypse.[39]
Robert must have profited by the good advice given him by his father,
for we find the monk Helgaud giving him a tremendous panegyric in the
account of his death. "Peu de temps après avoir reçu le saint et salutaire
viatique du corps vivifiant de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, Robert alla au
Roi des rois, au Seigneur des seigneurs, et entra heureux dans les célestes
royaumes. Il mourut le vingtième jour de juillet (1031) au commencement
de la journée du mardi, au château de Melun, et il fut porté à Paris, puis
enseveli à Saint-Denis, près de son père. Il y eut là un grand deuil, une
douleur intolérable; car la foule de moines gémissait sur la perte d'un tel
père,[40] et une multitude innombrable de clercs se plaignait de leur misère
que soulageait avec tant de piété ce saint homme. Un nombre infini de
veuves et d'orphelins regrettait tant de bienfaits reçus de lui. Tous
poussaient de grands cris jusqu'au ciel, disant d'une commune voix: 'Grand
Roi, Dieu bon, pourquoi nous tuer ainsi en nous ôtant ce bon père et
l'unissant à toi!' Ils se frappaient avec les poings la poitrine, allaient et
venaient au saint tombeau, répétaient encore les paroles marquées plus haut
et se joinaient aux prières des saints afin que Dieu eût pitié de lui dans le
siècle éternel. Dieu! quelle douleur causa cette mort. Tous s'écriaient avec
des clameurs redoublées: 'Tant que Robert a régné et commandé, nous
avons vécu tranquilles, nous n'avons rien craint; que l'âme de ce père pieux,
ce père du sénat, ce père de tout bien, soit heureuse et sauvée! qu'elle monte
et habite pour toujours avec Jésus-Christ, Roi des rois!'.... Dans tout cela,
nous avons un grand sujet de douleur, en voyant qu'un tel et si grand
homme repose sans une pierre ornée d'inscriptions, sans monument, sans
épitaphe, lui dont la gloire et la mémoire ont été en bénédiction à toute la
terre." As late as the 16th century Robert's tomb was enriched with colour,
and even now a small amount remains.
Another king's death, that of Louis le Gros, is recorded by Suger: "Après
avoir reçu en communion le corps et le sang de Jésus-Christ, le roi rejetant
loin de lui toutes les pompes de l'orgueil du siècle, s'étendit sur un lit de
simple toile. M'ayant vu pleurer sur lui qui, par le sort commun aux
hommes, était devenu si petit et si humble de si grand et si élevé qu'il était,
il me dit: 'Ne pleure pas sur moi, très-cher ami, mais plutôt triomphe et
réjouis-toi de ce que Dieu, dans sa miséricorde, m'a donné, comme tu le
vois, les moyens de me préparer à paraître devant lui.'.... Un peu avant de

mourir, il ordonna qu'on étendit un tapis par terre, et que sur ce tapis on
jetât des cendres en forme de croix; puis il s'y fit porter et déposer par ses
serviteurs, et fortifiant toute sa personne par le signe de la croix, il rendit
l'âme le jour les calendes d'août (Ier. août 1137), dans la trentième année de
son règne et presque la soixantième de son âge. Son corps fut à l'heure
même enveloppé de riches étoffes pour être transporté et enterré dans
l'église des saints martyrs."
Suger mentions the finding of the remains of Carloman when they were
about to bury Louis VI., and how the former were removed to a spot
between the altar of the Holy Trinity and that of the Martyrs: "On l'y déposa
donc avec le cérémonial d'usage pour les rois, au milieu de chants
nombreux, d'hymnes et de prières, après lui avoir fait de pieuses et
solennelles funérailles. C'est là qu'il attend d'être admis à jouer de sa
résurrection future, et qu'il est d'autant plus près de se réunir en esprit à la
troupe des esprits célestes, que son corps est plus voisin des corps des saints
martyrs et plus à portée d'en être protégé."

"FELIX QUI POTUIT MUNDI NUTANTE RUINA
QUO JACEAT PRÆSCISSE LOCO...."

"Puisse le Rédempteur ressusciter l'âme de ce roi à l'intercession des saintes
martyrs pour lesquels il avait un si pieux dévouement! puisse cette âme être
placée au rang des saints par celui qui a donné la sienne pour le salut du
monde, notre seigneur Jésus-Christ qui vit et règne, Roi des rois, et maître
des puissances, aux siècles des siècles. Amen."[41]
Of the burial of Louis VII. the monk Rigord gives some interesting
details: "L'année 1181, le jeudi dix-huitième jour de septembre, mourut à
Paris Louis, roi des Français. Son corps fut honorablement enseveli et
couvert d'aromates dans l'église de Sainte-Marie de Barbeau, qu'il avait
fondée. C'est là qu'en l'honneur de notre seigneur Jésus-Christ et de la
bienheureuse mère de Dieu, Marie toujours vièrge, de saints religieux
célèbrent jour et nuit les offices divins pour l'âme du défunt roi, pour celles
de tous ses prédécesseurs et pour le salut du royaume de France. C'est aussi
dans cette église, et sur le lieu même de la sépulture du roi, que l'illustre
reine des Français, Adèle[42] son épouse et mère de Phillippe-Auguste, roi
des Français, fit construire un tombeau où l'art le plus exquis avait fait un
heureux mélange des matières les plus brillantes, d'or et d'argent, d'airain et

de pierres précieuses. Jamais chef-d'œuvre aussi étonnant n'avait paru dans
aucun royaume depuis le règne de Salomon." In 1182 Philippe Auguste
decreed that a taper should always be kept alight before the tomb of his
father. What became of the monument is not known. At the Revolution it
consisted of a sarcophagus which had been renovated in 1695 by the
Cardinal de Furstemberg, abbot of Barbeau[43] and prince bishop of
Strasburg. When Charles IX. was at Fontainebleau he had the curiosity to
open this latter tomb of Louis. The body was nearly entire; but the sceptre,
some silver seals and ornaments, were partially destroyed. The king had
rings on his fingers and a gold cross on his neck; "le roi et les princes du
sang qui se trouvèrent là présents, les prirent pour les porter en mémoire
d'un si bon est religieux prédécesseur."[44] One would like to know why
ignorant, poverty-stricken fisher and peasant folk should be anathematized
for robbing the dead after a wreck or a battle, when such a pious prince as
the author of the massacre of S. Bartholomew pilfered the rings from his
ancestor without a word of protest—on the contrary, his relations and
friends "du sang" aided and abetted him. But then, of course, a few
centuries had elapsed in the latter case, and poor Louis was reduced to a
state of dry bones; it was robbing a skeleton, not a body. In the reign of
Napoléon the abbey of Barbeau was converted into a school for the
daughters of members of the Legion of Honour, and in 1817 the remains of
Louis VII. were transported to S. Denis.
Why does it happen that children who die young seem to be so superior
to those who survive? Would the Duc de Bourgogne, Philippe, son of Louis
VI., Edward V., or Prince Arthur have made better sovereigns than their
relations who reigned in their stead? Suger gives a picturesque account of
the death of Philippe, "un enfant dans la fleur de l'âge." This "malheur
étrange" happened on the 13th October, 1131. "Le fils aîné du roi Louis
Philippe, d'une grande douceur, l'espoir des bons et la terreur des méchants,
se promenait un jour à cheval dans un faubourg de la cité de Paris; un
détestable porc se jette dans le chemin du cheval; celui-ci tombe rudement,
renverse, écrase contre une pierre le noble enfant qui le montait, et l'étouffe
sous le poids de son corps. Ce jour-là même on avait convoqué l'armée pour
une expédition; aussi les habitants de la ville et tout les autres qui
apprennent cet évènement, consternés de douleur, crient, pleurent, poussent
des sanglots, s'empressent à relever le tendre enfant presque mort, et le
portent dans une maison voisine. O douleur! à l'entrée de la nuit il rendit

l'âme. Quelle tristesse et quel désespoir accablèrent son père, sa mère et les
grands du royaume! Homère lui-même ne pourrait l'exprimer. On l'enterra
dans l'église du bienheureux Denis, dans le lieu réservé à la sépulture des
rois et à la gauche de l'autel de la Sainte-Trinité, avec tout le cérémonial
usité pour les rois, en présence d'une foule d'évêques et de grands de l'Etat."
[45] Philippe's was the last statue that S. Louis gave to the church, and the
crown and sceptre show that the young prince had been crowned by his
father at Reims during the latter's life—probably in order to share the duties
of kingship.
Although three abbeys were the happy possessors of the remains of
Blanche of Castille (Maubuisson, Lys, and Saint-Corentin-lez-Mantes), no
tomb exists of the sweet mother of S. Louis.[46] Upon the monument at
Maubuisson the queen was attired in the habit of the Cistercian order, which
she assumed in her last moments; the crown was placed over the veil, the
royal robes over the nun's habit, and so she passed away, and was thus
buried. In 1793 various tombs, armorial bearings, and the like aliments de
l'orgueil, were transported from Maubuisson to Pontoise; some were
broken, some burnt; golden vessels and silver saints were thrust into the
melting-pot; and Blanche of Castille, with the help of a prince perhaps, or a
warrior, became transformed into an instrument of war. But the museum of
the Petits-Augustins wanted an effigy of the mother of Monsieur Saint
Louis; and so they set up a black marble image of Catherine de Courtenay,
empress of Constantinople and wife of Charles of Valois, who had lately,
and all alone, journeyed from Maubuisson; and, thinking it a joke to turn a
black empress into a white queen, they wrote upon the slab, in 13th century
characters, that it was the true monument of Madame la royne Blanche
mere de Monsieur Saint Loys. After twenty years Madame Catherine-
Blanche became divorced from her other half, and the white queen faded
away in favour of the black empress.
One of the most beautiful tombs is that of Philippe, the brother of S.
Louis, which was formerly at Royaumont. The prince lies upon a
sarcophagus, round which are niches filled with little figures of monks,
bishops, and angels, full of character and expression. One of these
represents a king: "On y voyait le cercueil de Louis porté par les barons de
France et par le roi d'Angleterre.[47] Une figure couronnée porte sur l'épaule
un des bâtons; c'est le roi anglais"[48]—proving the sovereignty of France
over England. There is a curious engraving by Boulogne representing this

procession. The church is in the distance; a string of monks are zigzagging
across the plain, and in the foreground we see this crowned head and others
bearing the reliquary; behind are bishops; the whole in the grandiose style
of the 17th and 18th centuries—drapery flying in the wind, bishops and
monks prancing, and all the faces turned to the spectator. S. Louis had
always held the abbey in most respectful esteem. He visited it before he
started upon his various expeditions; and in 1267, when he had conferred
the order of chivalry upon his son Philippe and sixty other young noblemen,
he rode to S. Denis on horseback to implore the blessing of God,
accompanied by a large concourse of courtiers and princes.
The monuments of the battle of Bouvines came from the church of S.
Catherine-du-Val-des-Écoliers. They are incised stones, coloured and gilt,
bearing the following inscriptions:—
R
A LA PRIERE DES SERGENS DARMES MONS SAINT LOYS
FONDA
CESTE EGLISE ET Y MIST LA PREMIERE
PIERRE ET FU POUR LA JOIE DE LA VITTOIRE QUE FU AU PONT
DE
BOUINES LAN MIL. CC. ET.XIIII.
LES SERGENS DARMES POUR LE TEMPS GARDOIENT LEDIT
PONT ET
VOUERENT QUE SE DIEU LEUR
DONNOIT VITTOIRE ILS FONDEROIENT VNE EGLISE EN
LONNEUR DE
MADAME SAINTE KATHERINE ET AINSI FU IL.

Another epitaph to Blanche de France came from the Cordeliers:

ICY GIST MADAME BLANCHE FILLE DE MONSEIGNEUR SANCT
LOYS ET FĒM̄ E DE MONS. FERDINAND DE LACERDE ROY DE
CASTILLE QUI TRESPASSA DU CEST SIECLE LAN DE ḠC̄ Ē
MCCCXX LE DIX SEPTIESME JOUR DE JUN
PRIES POUR LAME DELLE Q. DEU BONNE MERCI LI FACE,
AMEN.

When Isabelle d'Aragon died at Cosenza, in Calabria, her husband,
Philippe le Hardi, wrote to the abbot and religious of S. Denis to commend
her soul to their prayers, for her life était aimable à Dieu et aux hommes.
Her epitaph begins:

DYSABEL. LAME. AIT. PARADYS, etc.

Louis XI. was not buried at S. Denis; he desired to be laid in the church
of Our Lady of Cléry, "for which the Heretics (meaning the Huguenots and
Calvinists) had not the same respect which they inviolably entertained for
the holy and royal tombs of S. Denis.[49] But inspired by the Devil, with an
abominable and hellish spirit of rage and profanation, they tore the king's
remains from the tomb, and, together with the queen's, burnt them and
scattered their ashes to the winds. Thus he who would not let his body rest
under the protection of the Holy Martyers found no rest in the grave."[50]
This monument was of bronze, but another was erected in 1622 by an
Orléans sculptor, Michel Bourdin. La Fontaine described the latter as
follows, in a letter to his wife, dated 1633: "Nous nous arrêtâmes à Cléry.
J'allai aussitôt visiter l'église; c'est une collégiale assez bien rentée pour un
bourg. Louis XI. y est enterré. On le voit à genoux sur son tombeau, quatre
enfants aux coins; ce seraient quatre anges, si on ne leur avait pas arraché
les ailes. Le bon apôtre du roi fait là le saint homme, et il est bien mieux
pris que lorsque le Bourguignon le mena à Liége.

Je lui trouvai la mine d'un matois:
Ainsi l'étoit ce prince dont la vie
Doit rarement servir d'exemple aux rois,
Mais pourroit être en quelques points suivie.

"À ses genoux sont ses heures et son chapelet, la main de justice, son
sceptre, son chapeau et sa Notre-Dame. Je ne sais comment le statuaire n'y a
pas mis le prévôt Tristan; le tout est en marbre blanc et m'a paru d'assez
bonne main."
This monument suffered some mutilations during the Revolution, the
head being chopped into three pieces[51]; but in 1817 it was repaired. It is,
in style, very similar to the descriptions of the bronze monument of Charles
VIII.

TOMB OF THE HOUSE OF ORLÉANS.

The tomb of the house of Orléans was erected by Louis XII. in the centre
of the magnificent chapel of the family, in the church of the Célestins. It
contained besides, the statue of Philippe de Chabot, by Jean Cousin;
Germain Pilon's Three Graces; the columns of Anne de Montmorency, of
François II., and of Timoléon de Brissac; the obelisk of the Longuevilles;
the tombs of Rénée d'Orléans, and of the duc de Rohan, by Michel Anguier.
The destruction of this chapel and the dispersal of its contents was one of
the greatest acts of vandalism of modern times; although a good deal has
been preserved, the loss of the rest cannot but be bewailed.
Charles, duc d'Orléans, was a lettered man and given to verse writing; he
was made prisoner at the battle of Agincourt, and passed more than twenty
years of his life in England. The little porcupine at the king's feet (upon the
tomb) symbolized the order of chivalry which he founded, and which
adopted that animal as its emblem.
The beautiful marble monument of Rénée d'Orléans recalls those of
Santa Croce, and other Italian churches, and it is a magnificent example of
French Renaissance sculpture.
The epitaph to Marguerite de Valois, first wife of Henri IV., attributed to
the queen's authorship, is taken from a manuscript in the Bibliothèque:

Ceste brillante fleur de l'arbre des Valoys
En qui mourust le nom de tant de puissans Roys,
Marguerite, pour qui tant de lauriers fleurirent,
Pour qui tant de bouquets chez les Muses se firent.
A vu fleurs et lauriers, sur sa tête sécher,
Et par un coup fatal, les lys s'en détacher.
Las! le cercle Royal dont l'avoit couronnée
En tumulte et sans ordre un trop prompt himénée,
Rompu du même coup devant ses pieds tombant
La laissa comme un tronc dégradé par les vents.
Epouse sans espoux, et Royne sans royaume,
Vaine ombre du passé, grand et noble fantosme
Elle traisna depuis les restes de son sort,
Et vist jusqu'a son nom mourir avant sa mort.

The epitaph upon Henri's second wife, Marie de' Medici, is in a very
different style. Marie, after having built the splendid Luxembourg palace,
and filled it with Rubens' sparkling magnificences of colour, died in exile at
Köln:

Le Louvre de Paris vit éclater ma gloire;
Le nom de mon époux, d'immortelle mémoire,
Est placé dans le ciel comme un astre nouveau.
Pour gendres j'eus deux rois, pour fils ce clair flambeau,
Qui par mille rayons brillera dans l'histoire.
Parmi tant de grandeur (le pourra-t-on bien croire?)
Je suis morte en exil; Cologne est mon tombeau!
Cologne, œil des cités de la terre Allemande,
Si jamais un passant curieux te demande
Le funeste récit des maux que j'ai soufferts,
Dis: ce triste cercueil chétivement enserre
La reine dont le sang coule en tout l'univers,
Qui n'eut pas en mourant un seul pouce de terre.[52]

TOMB OF RÉNÉE D'ORLÉANS-LONGUEVILLE.

Louis XIII., or rather, part of him, was buried at the Jesuits' church; and
Anne d'Autriche erected therein a fine monument sculptured by Jacques
Sarrazin. Two colossal angels in bronze and silver supported a silver-gilt
heart; but its magnificence only made it of greater use to the mint for
coinage.
This good king, the thirteenth of his name, was a great devotee of S.
Denis. He had instituted reform in the abbey by introducing the
congregation of S. Maur; and we are told that he acquired "strength and
spirits in his last illness, as he lay languishing upon his bed, as often as he
thought of S. Denis. At such times he would remark to his attendants, with a
smile of pious serenity, how much he felt himself reconciled to his near

approaching dissolution, and fortified against all the usual desires of life or
dread of death; in a sweet anticipation of the happiness he should enjoy by
reposing near the tombs of the Holy Martyrs, in whom he placed the most
sacred and unbounded confidence."
There is one more exquisite work of art which ought to be mentioned,
the beautiful urn from the abbey of Haute-Bruyère, which contained the
heart of that magnificent profligate, François I^er. It is of white marble, of
perfect form, with the most delicious little Genii sitting on the top. The bas
reliefs represent the Arts and Sciences, Faith, and the Church. It is the work
of Pierre Bontems.
Some of the kings were crowned at S. Denis after having been anointed
and consecrated at Reims; some, like Philippe Auguste, were re-invested at
the abbey. Philippe le Hardi, Charles VIII., Louis XII., François Ier., and
Louis XIII., were all anointed at Reims and crowned at S. Denis. An
account in an old book of the coronation of Louis XIII. is so quaint, and
gives so graphic a picture of some of the manners and customs of the
period, that it is, I think, worth quoting in full.[53]
The description of the magnificent ceremony was extracted from a
chronicle of the reign of Louis XIII., and translated into English a hundred
and fifty years ago:—
"The royall ornaments, which are kept in the Abbey of Saint Denis, being caryed to Rheims, on
the 14th October, 1610, the King made his entrie into the towne, where his Maiestie was received
with greate pompe and magnificence; the particularities whereof I am forced, for brevities sake, to
omit. The day before the ceremonie, the King went vnto the Cathedrall, to assist at Euensong, and to
heare a sermon made by Father Coton, vpon the diuine institution of the unction of the Kings of
France, and of confirmation, which he received from the hands of the Cardinall of Joyeuse, to whom
he was presented by Queen Marguerite and the Prince of Condé.
"On Sunday, the 17th of October, the King sent foure Barons vnto the Abbey of Saint Remy, to
fetch the holie oyle. They parted earlie in the morning, with their Esquires and Gentlemen; either of
them having a banner, with his armes, caried before him, causing a white hackney to be led, for the
Prior of Saint Remy, who was to carry the said holie oyle.
"The Cardinal of Joyeuse, who was to represent the Archbishop of Rheims, and to doe the office,
at the ceremonie, came soone after into the church, with eight Bishops to assist him, where, attending
the comming of the Peeres, he sat him downe in his pontificall robes. Two of these Bishops were
attired like Deacons, with mitres; two like Sub-Deacons, with mitres; and foure with copes and
mitres. Soon after arrived the ecclesiasticall Peeres, in their pontificall robes.... At the same instant
there came, from the King's lodging, the Princes of Condé and Conty ... who were deputed by the
King to hold the places of ... attyred in their robes and coronets, according to their qualities. Having
done their devotions, and saluted one another, they sent the bishops of Laon and Beauuais to fetch the
King, in their pontificall habits (having certaine reliques of the holie Saintes hanging about their
neckes), conducted by the Master of the Ceremonies; all the Prebendes of oure Ladies church

marching in goodlie procession before them. Being come to the King's chamber, and finding it shut,
the Bishop of Laon knocked three several times, to either of which the greate Chamberlaine
demanded, 'What would ye?' The Bishop answered, 'Lewis the Thirteenth, son to Henrie the Greate';
whereunto the Chamberlaine replied, 'He sleepeth'; then knocking againe, he had the like answere.
But at the third time the Bishop answered, 'Lewis the Thirteenth, which God hath given us for King';
then the door was opened, and the Bishops entered with the cheife chaunter of Rheims, &c., where
they found the King laid on his bed, having his shirt slit before and behind, to receive the holie
Vnction, and uppon it a waistecoat of crimson sattin, slitted in like maner, and thereon a long robe of
cloth-of-siluer. The Bishop of Laon having finished a prayer, kissing their hands, they lifted the King
from his bed, with all shewes of honour, and then led him, singing, to the church doore. Before him,
there marched, first the greate Prouost, with his archeres; then the Clergie which had accompanied
the two Prelates; the hundrede tall Swissers of his guard: the drummes, haultbois, and herauldes; the
nobilitie; the great Master of the Ceremonies; the Knights of the Holie Ghoste, with their great order
hong about their neckes, in the middest of two hundred Gentlemen of the King's house; and the
Scottish Guards, in their own proper habiliments. Before his Maiestie went the Mareschall la
Chastre, representinge the Constable, carying a naked sworde, &c. &c. After some ceremonies at the
church doore, the King approacheth neare untoe the high altar, where he was presented, by the
Bishops of Laon and Chalons, untoe the Cardinal Joyeuse, who said many prayers, whilest the King
was at his deuotions. After this he was led untoe his seate, with his Noblemen and officers about him.
In the meane tyme, all the religious men of Saint Remy came solemnlie in procession, being
accompanied by the cheife of the towne, caryinge torches of virgines waxe in their hands: Their Prior
was mounted upon the white hackney, having a foote-cloath of cloath-of-silver, carying the violl of
holie oyle, in a pixe, hanginge about his necke, being under a canopie of cloath-of-silver, borne by
foure Monkes. The Cardinall being advertised of the arrivall of the said oyle, hee went, in his
pontificalibus, to meet it, with the eight Bishops which assisted him, and all the singinge men and
quiristeres. But before they would deliver it unto the Cardinall, they made him (according to the
custome) binde himself to restore it untoe them againe. After saying a praier, hee shewed the holie
oyle untoe the people; and then set it down vpon the high altar, with all the Godlie reuerence. (The
coronation oath and some ceremonies are here omitted for brevity). The King having taken the
oathes, with inuocation of the name of God, laying his handes vpon the Gospel, which he kist with
greate reuerence. The King's ornaments ... were layd upon the altar; and on the left hande side, neere
vnto them, stoode the Prior of Saint Denis, who hath the keeping of them; and on the right side
stoode the Prior of Saint Remy, looking sharplie to the holie oyle.[54] The Bishops of Laon and
Beauvais, hauing conducted him vnto the altar, Mons. de Belgarde tooke off his roabe of cloath-of-
silver. Being in his waistecoate of sattin, when the Cardinall had made certaine prayers and blessings,
the Duke of Esguillon put on his buskins, and the Prince of Condé put on his spurres (in the place of
the Duke of Bourgundie) and presentlie took them off againe. After this, the Cardinall blessed the
royale sworde, it being in the scabberd, and girt the King therewith, and presentlie ungirted him
againe. Then he drew it out of the scabberd, and kissed it, saying manie praiers, whilest that the Quier
sang certaine anthems. The King kist the sworde also; and layd it upon the altar, in testimonie of his
zeale and affection to the defence of the holie church. The Cardinall delivered it into his hande
againe; which his Maiestie tooke reuerentlie vpon his knee, and gave it to the Mareschall la Chastre.
The Cardinall returning to the altar, to prepare the sacred vnction, after this manner: 'Hee drewe out
of the forenamed holie violl, with a needell of gold, a small quantitie of liquor, of the bignesse of a
pease, and mingled it, with his finger, with the holie creme prepared in the couer of the chalice.
"This vnction being thus ordered, the tyinges of the King's garments were let loose both before
and behinde, by the Cardinall and the two Bishops; after which his Maiestie kneeled down in his
oratorie, and the Cardinall with him, to crave the assistance of God for the preseruation of France.
The Lettanie being sung, the Cardinall stoode up, to saye certaine praiers ouer the King, who was yet
kneelinge. Then the Cardinall sett him downe, as in the consecration of a Bishop, and holding in his

hand the patenne whereon the heavenlie oyle was layd, he beganne, with his right thumbe, to anoynte
the King, in divers places, viz., on the crowne of the head, on the stomacke, betwixte his shouldere
blades, on bothe shoulderes, and on the bendinges of his armes. The consecration praiers being
ended, the Cardinall, with the two Bishops, closed vp his shirte, waistecoate, and other garmentes, in
reverence of the sacred Vnction. Then the high Chamberlaine presented the three habitts accustomed
to be worne, in the lyke ceremonies, viz., a long jackett, representinge a Sub-Deacon, a surplis for a
Deacon, and a royall cloake, insteade of a coape, representinge a Prieste; which ended, the Cardinall
anoynted the palmes of his handes, and then put him on thin gloues, lest, peradventure, hee should
touche anie thinge with his bare handes, for reverence of the vnction, which gloues he blest, and
sprinkled with holie water; the royall ringe being alsoe blest by the Cardinall (a symbole of loue,
whereby the King was wedded untoe his realme), he put it on the fourthe fingere of his Maiesties
right hande, with all the accustomed ceremonie. This done, hee tooke the sceptere from the altar, and
put it intoe his right hande, for a mark of the Soueraigne power: then he tooke the hande of Justice,
which hee put into his lefte hande, it being a wande, hauing, on the top thereof, a hande of mylke
white iuorie.
"Then the Chancelloure of France came vp, with his face towarde the King, and, with a stoute
voyce, did call vp the Peeres, according to their dignities, to assist at the coronation. When as, this
ceremonie being ended, the Cardinall took the great crowne from the altar, and lifting it with bothe
his handes, did poise it over the King's heade; the Peeres did then come to support them, and the
Cardinall blest it; and then he alone sett the crowne upon the King's heade, whereuntoe all the Peeres
did incontinentlie put their handes. The Cardinall then said manie praiers, and blest the King; the
which being ended, hee took him bie the right sleeve, and conducted him to his royall throne, the
which was builded on high at the bottome of the quier, forasmuch as that he might be seene of all the
people, holdinge still in his handes the royall sceptere and rod of Justice. The Queen Regent, the
whilst she beheld all these ceremonies, was sorely disquieted, not being able to endure, with patience,
to see his Maiestie bare headed, vnder the crowne, havinge his capp taken from him; which shewes
that crownes and greatness have their discomodities, as well as the most ordinarie thinges, and the
poorest cottages. The King being come to his royall throwne, attended bie the Princes, Peeres, and
Officers, according to their degrees, the Cardinall, holding him by the hande, caused him to sit
downe, and praied untoe God to confirme him in his throne, and to make him invincible and
inexpugnable against his enemies. After which, having sayd a praier, being bare-headed, he made a
low obeysance untoe the King, and kissed him, saying thrice, with a loude voyce, 'God save the
King'; and at the laste, he added, 'God save the King eternallie.' All the Peeres did the lyke
obeysance, one after the other, and kist him, with the lyke acclamation, and then returned untoe the
seates that were prepared for them on either hand."

RELIQUARY CONTAINING THE HEAD OF S. DENIS.

The treasury of S. Denis was one of the richest in Europe. Commenced
by the religious enthusiasts of the time of Charlemagne, it increased year by
year, through the donations of the grateful patients who had been cured, or
whose sufferings had been relieved, by the intercession of S. Denis and his
companions. For every wax arm or leg, which we see hanging up in
bunches at the side of a shrine in these days, the ages of Faith could have
produced a valuable plaque, gem, cross, reliquary, or altar vessel.
Thankfulness was then more costly in its expression. Doubtless poor
offerings were also made, but the richness of the churches and their
contents, as compared with the difficulty of obtaining a few thousands at
the present day, shows that gratitude was more practical than in modern
times. Charles le Chauve was a great donor to the monastery. It was he who
gave the magnificent ante-pendium, besides some jewelled Gospels and
altar-vessels. Philippe-Auguste bequeathed all his jewels to the abbey,
including a cross of gold valued at 400 livres, this benefaction being for the
maintenance of twenty additional monks; but his son, Louis, repurchased
some of the valuables at the estimated price of 11,600 livres, a little
business transaction which was not unprofitable to the convent. Louis le
Gros established the custom of leaving the royal ornaments to the abbey at
the decease of the kings. Matthieu de Vendôme, one of the regular abbots,
gave the marvellous chef of S. Denis, a gold reliquary in the form of a head,
with a jewelled mitre, and silver-gilt supporting Angels, and a young Child-

angel holding another reliquary containing a portion of the Saint's shoulder-
blade. Gilles de Pontoise, another abbot, presented a beautiful reliquary,
containing the under-jaw of S. Louis—a marvel of goldsmithy in the form
of statuettes of gold, jewelled and enamelled. The great Suger gave a
number of magnificent objects of all kinds; the huge gold cross, six feet in
height, placed over the altar, and another which stood upon the grille
dividing the choir from the nave. These probably were made at S. Denis, as
Suger set up a great school for the fashioning of gold and silver, as well as
for writing and painting; and so famous did it become, that brethren from
other monasteries flocked to the monks of S. Denis to perfect themselves in
these arts.

THE "MASS OF S. GILES" (FRAGMENT).

There is a representation of Charles le Chauve's ante-pendium in the
picture formerly in the Dudley collection, and now in the possession of Mr.
Edward Steinkopff, and generally known as the "Mass of S. Giles." The
altar stands as at present; on the right we see a portion of the tomb of

Dagobert; and behind are the windows of the apsidal clerestory. The only
difference in the sculptures, as represented in the picture, and the actual
monument, is that the head of Nantilde is bent in the modern statue, but is
erect in the old one; and the feet of Dagobert seem to have nothing to rest
upon. A priest is before the altar; on his left is a king; behind are some
assistants, one holding a tall candle; and above is an Angel bearing a paper,
alluding to the legend, that as S. Giles was once saying mass before a king
with some hidden sin he dare not confess, an Angel descended with a
written pardon. The question is, Who is the king? May it not be Charles le
Chauve, the donor of the retable? Charles was abbot of S. Denis; and his
devotion to the Saint was so great that he attended the offices of the church
on all solemn days, and passed the rest of the time in pious conversation
with the monks. The crown the king wears is of the time of Charles V., but
it has upon it the Imperial circle, which seems to point to Charles the Bald;
and the later style of the crown may be accounted for, as it has evidently
been copied from one in the treasury of S. Denis (see Félibien). Moreover,
it very much resembles the one worn by Charles le Chauve in a miniature of
a Latin Bible in the Bibliothèque; on the other hand, the king wears a
moustache in the latter, whereas in the picture he is bearded.
Another question is this, Does the picture represent a mass? It probably
has gained its title as much from being the companion volet to Lord
Northbrook's S. Giles as to the incident of the scroll-bearing Angel. But
there is not the slightest resemblance between the hunting personage in
Lord Northbrook's picture and the king in the "Mass." In the former, the
kneeling hunter appears in a cap, and has no beard; may not this be Charles
Martel? We are told in the legend of S. Giles that the king of France was
one day hunting in the South, near Nismes, when, in the pursuit of a hind,
the hunters came upon S. Giles living hermit-wise in a cave. Charles Martel
was never actually sovereign, although governing the kingdom; therefore a
cap would be an appropriate head covering for the Maire du Palais. And the
dates correspond. S. Giles died in 725; Charles Martel in 741. Is there any
evidence that the S. Denis picture represents the S. Giles legend? There is
no reason why each volet of a triptich should be decorated with incidents in
the life of the same saint. Again, does the picture represent a mass? There
are no lights upon the altar, which is contrary to the almost invariable
custom of the church from all time. Two lights were used from the earliest
period; whereas a single light, either taper, torch, or lantern, borne by an

assistant kneeling behind the celebrant, generally denotes a communion of
the faithful, after, or out of, mass. It is true there is a picture by van der
Weyden in the National Gallery of the "Mass of S. Hubert," with no lights,
and there is no doubt about the subject, as the vessels requisite for a mass
are visible upon the altar; but in the "Mass of S. Giles" there are no
evidences of the celebration of mass, except that the priest is elevating the
Host while facing the altar, and reading from a book placed thereon;
whereas at a communion the celebrant turns his back to the altar when
elevating the consecrated wafer. Now may not the picture represent either
the communion of Charles le Chauve, or his induction as abbot, or his
presentation of the retable? I have not lost sight of the difficulty of the
Angel. But if it be really the sin-forgiven scroll which he holds, there is no
reason why this particular king should not have had a hidden sin, pious man
though he may have been; indeed, that would be a reason for his thinking ill
of himself. And must the subject be necessarily that incident, when we
know that in Mediæval times Angels were constantly in the habit of flying
about with all kinds of objects of celestial manufacture—stoles, girdles,
chalices, crowns, palms, &c. (In van der Weyden's picture, mentioned
above, an Angel is descending with a stole).
These are merely suggestions of a theory, which others, more qualified
than myself, may be able to solve. Suger is said to have added to the ante-
pendium given by Charles le Chauve, and placed it over the altar as a
retable;[55] therefore there would be nothing extraordinary in the 15th-
century artist placing Charles kneeling as the original donor, and Suger
celebrating, as the founder of the new altar, or reredos. Has the abbot Giles
de Pontoise, who died in 1325, caused any confusion in naming this
picture? There is another curious resemblance in the crowns borne by the
Angels upon the retable, and the crowns of Guarrazar in the Hôtel Cluny.
The latter are supposed to be of Byzantine workmanship, the largest bearing
the name of Reccesvinthus, king of the Visigoths, who reigned from 649 to
672. Charles le Chauve died in 823; but, according to Grégoire de Tours,
when Childebert returned from a campaign against the Visigoths in Spain,
he brought away divers gold and silver treasures, including a gold cross
from Toledo; therefore there must have been an extensive school of
goldsmithy in Spain at that time, and Toledo is the very spot near which the
Guarrazar spoils were discovered. Were they made there some 100 years or
so after Childebert's death? Grégoire de Tours also speaks of the king

setting up workshops in the Parvis Notre-Dame, doubtless in imitation of
the Spanish school; and in his Notice de l'Orfévrerie, M. Alfred Darcel
points out a similarity between the Merovingian and the Spanish style of
work. "Ce qui ressort de la plupart des passages que nous venons de citer,
c'est que l'orfévrerie mérovingienne a pour principal caractère l'alliance des
pierreries aux métaux précieux. Ce caractère se retrouve dans
l'ornamentation des couronnes de Guarrazar ... et dans l'orfévrerie
Byzantine." Is it possible, then, that the ante-pendium presented by Charles
le Chauve to S. Denis was made at the workshops set up by Childebert in
the Parvis Notre-Dame, in imitation of those he had seen at Toledo; and that
the workmanship was also an imitation of the Spanish goldsmithy of a
hundred years earlier?
But of all this beauty, of all this wealth, what have we now?
Marvellously little; still, considering the robbers, royal and plebeian, the
fires, the wars, and the undisciplined mobs, we ought to be thankful that so
much has been preserved. That even the great churchmen were not above
suspicion we see by the account of the coronation of Louis XIII.; the
cardinal being obliged "to binde himself" to restore the "holy oyle" before
the monks would let him take it into his hands; and the Prior of S. Remy,
who had the custody of it, standing by and "looking sharplie to the holie
oyle."
Of the few things which remain from the wreck, the following will be
found in the Louvre and the Bibliothèque Nationale, commencing with the
former.[56]
The beautiful Egyptian Amphora of porphyry transformed by Abbot
Suger[57] into an eagle for service as an altar vessel. It is silver-gilt, and
bears an inscription round the bird's neck: Includi Gemmis lapis ista
meretur et auro—marmor erat sed in his marmore carior est.[58] Suger
himself thus describes it: "Un vase de porphyre, chef-d'œuvre de taille et de
sculpture; depuis longues années il était sans emploi dans l'écrin; d'amphore
qu'il était, nous l'avons transformé en un aigle, au moyen de l'or et de
l'argent, nous l'avons adapté au service de l'autel, et sur ce vase nous avons
fait inscrire les vers qui suivent."
Another antique sardonyx[59] set by Suger, with a mounting of silver-gilt
filagree and precious stones ornamenting it. Suger's account of this vase is
as follows: "Nous avons acheté, pour le service du même autel, un calice

précieux de sardonyx; nous y avons joint, en guise d'amphore, un autre vase
de la même matière, mais de forme différente, sur lequel sont ces vers: Dum
libare Deo gemmis debemus et auro—Hoc ego Sugerius offero vas
Domino.".... "Il était de ce sentiment que l'on doit employer à la décoration
des autels tout ce que l'on a de plus précieux; il disait que si les juifs se sont
servis dans l'ancienne loi de vases et de fioles d'or, pour ramasser le sang
des animaux, à plus forte raison doit-on moins épargner, dans la nouvelle,
l'or et les pierreries pour tout ce qui a rapport au saint sacrifice du corps et
du sang de Jésus Christ." Twenty-four plaques which decorated a book of
the Gospels, in cloisonné enamel, are of the 9th century. Some of them are
ornamented with foliage, others with the four Evangelists. They belonged to
the gold book-cover bearing the legend: Beatrix me in honore Dei
omnipotentis et omnium sanctorum eius fieri precepit; which probably
refers to Beatrix, grand-daughter of Hugues Capet and sister of Robert, king
of France, wife of Ebles I., count of Reims.
A 13th century reliquary in champlevé enamel.
The psalter of Charles le Chauve.
The beautiful antique rock-crystal vase, bearing the
name of Aliénor d'Aquitaine. It was given by her to
Louis VII., who presented it to Suger, who, in his turn,
offered it to the Saints, as saith the inscription upon the
foot: "This vase was given by Aliénor to Louis, her
husband. Mitadol gave it to her grandfather, and the
King to me, Suger; and I, Suger, to SS. Rusticus and
Eleutherius."
The paten belonging to Suger's lost chalice. It is a
serpentine disc incrusted with golden fishes.
A rectangular plaque of gold, repoussée and gilt, VASE DE SUGER.
bearing inscriptions in Greek.
A statuette of the Blessed Virgin, in silver, repoussée, chased, and parcel
gilt and enamelled. The Virgin holds a fleur-de-lys, enriched with precious
stones, in her right hand. It was given to the abbey by Jehanne d'Evreux, in
1334.
A sceptre with a statuette of Charlemagne upon a lily, of the reign of
Charles V.

Another statuette of the Blessed Virgin in silver repoussée and parcel
gilt; with a little rock-crystal reliquary enclosing a piece of the swaddling
clothes.
In the Bibliothèque:
A cameo (sardonyx) head of Augustus, formerly one of the gems of the
reliquary containing the skull of S. Hilary. The reliquary was in the form of
a mitred head, after the manner of that of S. Denis. The shoulders were
vested in a cope, and this cameo set in the centre of the orphrey. The
reliquary was made during the administration of Jérôme de Chambellan,
grand prior from 1583 to 1606, but part of the mounting holding the pearls
and stones seems to be of earlier date. There are three sapphires and three
imitation rubies, separated by six bouquets composed of three pearls.[60]
A little chalcedony bust of Annius Verus as Bacchus, inscribed: Verinus
consulis probat tempora. The bust bears a striking likeness to some medals
and coins of the little son of Marcus Aurelius. It was the custom of the
Roman consuls to send presents upon their appointments; thus, in sending
this bust to a friend, some consul engraved the inscription, which signifies:
The little Verus will remind you of my consulate. In the list by Dom Félibien
of the treasury at S. Denis, this is called: Tête d'un enfant faite d'une agate
orientale.
One of the most precious of the treasures was the Bacchic cantharus,
called the Cup of the Ptolomies. It is a sardonyx cup upon a pedestal, with
handles of vine stalks, and covered with bas-reliefs. It is supposed to have
gained its name from having belonged to Ptolomy XI., the husband of
Cleopatra, who bore the surname of Dionysos or Bacchus. From the
subjects of the bas-reliefs, it was undoubtedly consecrated to Bacchus. It
has also been called the Cup of Mithridates, as having perhaps belonged to
the celebrated collection of vases formed by the famous King. Singular
though it may appear, this cup dedicated to Bacchus was given to S. Denis
by one of the Carlovingian Kings; was it some blundering over the names,
Dionysos and Dionysius? The gold foot was added to give it the form of a
chalice, says Tristran de Saint-Amant, and the "grossier distique latin,"
placed upon this foot, "était profondément gravé sur l'or et la gravure
remplie d'émail de couleur d'acier braze." The following inscription is
easily read in the engraving in Félibien's history, but not the date: Hoc vas
Christe tibi mente dicavit tertius in Francos regmine Karlus.[61]

It has been thought that it was Charles the Simple who made the
donation, but Félibien remarks that Charles le Gros as well as Charles le
Chauve were also designated Charles III. In any case, it is known to have
been in the treasury as early as the 9th century. In 1790, it was placed in the
Cabinet de Médailles, but some years after it was stolen with the great
cameo and other valuables. The thieves were arrested in Holland, and the
cup and the cameo restored to the Bibliothèque; but the mounting of the
latter and the foot of the cup had been melted up. According to a tradition
referred to by Marion de Mersan, the queens of France drank consecrated
wine from this cup upon their coronation day. Another tradition asserts that
Henri III., in direful need of money, borrowed the cup, and pawned it to the
Jews of Metz for a million of livres tournois.
A beautiful aqua-marine bust is the authentic portrait of the daughter of
Titus, wife of Flavius Sabinus. It is signed Evodus, the name of a Greek
artist known by two other signed gems. It formed part of the reliquary
known as escrain or oratoire de Charlemagne. Félibien speaks of it thus:
"Ce reliquaire n'est qu'or, perles et pierreries. Sur le haut est répresentée une
princesse que quelques uns estiment être ou Cléopâtre, ou Julie, fille de
l'empereur Titus." Some of the stones are gone, but one of the remaining
sapphires is an antique intaglio representing upon one side a dauphin, and
upon the other a monogram surmounted by a cross of the 5th or 6th century.
The letters of the monogram are ΜΑΘΥ, possibly the initials of the owner,
or the designation of the Virgin: ΜΑΡΙΑ ΜΗΤΗΡ ΘΕΟΥ (Marie, mère de
Dieu).

STEPS LEADING TO THE APSE.

The Coupe de Chrosroës I., King of Persia, of the dynasty of the
Sassanides (531-579) is of transparent rock-crystal, engraved with a
representation of the King sitting upon his throne. In the history of the
abbey, published in 1625, by F. I. Doublet, we find this cup mentioned as
having been in the treasury, under the name of Solomon's cup, for more
than ten centuries, "et donnée par l'Empereur et Roy de France Charles le
Chauve." How it got into the hands of the King is not known. Chrosroës
was defeated by Justinian, general of Tiberius Constantine, Emperor of the
East; so that possibly the cup found its way to Constantinople after the
battle. Félibien's description of it is: "Espèce de sous-couppe d'or ornée de
crystaux de différentes sortes de couleurs. Au milieu l'on y voit un Roy
assis dans son trône."
Such are a few of the treasures formerly at S. Denis. The church is lovely
now, garnished only with its tombs and glass; what it must have been upon
a great festival a couple of hundred years ago, or still farther back,
imagination must be left to picture to itself. Even now, upon the fête of the
Saint (October 9th), the effect of the procession, as it winds up and down
the aisles and steps, is very fine, and quaint, too; for the Suisses wear black
hats and feathers, cloaks, breeches, and stockings, after the style of
Lawrence's "Kemble as Hamlet"; indeed, they seem to be the Dane,

according to the courtly painter, personified. The costume of the boys, also,
is different to that of the other churches. They wear violet cassocks, white
cottas, scarlet capes with yellow edges, and red skull caps. The whole affair,
the old canons bearing the relics, the boys in their quaint attire, the old-
world vergers and beadles, the lights few and far between in the great dim
church, the vistas of arched aisles ending in darkness, and the sparse
congregation, give the impression of some period long before the end of
this prosaic 19th century. The châsses are in their old places upon the raised
apse behind the altar; but they are of no artistic value. The setting of the
jewels is there, but the jewels are gone. The church remains one of the
grandest of its date, but its contents have been mended, patched, and re-
made. Still, it is an exquisitely beautiful relic, left us by the ages of Faith.
S. Denis still goes barefoot, but not for love. Stern necessity keeps it so,
or thrusts its cold feet into wooden shoes. It carries its red flag also, and
waves it menacingly at all who love peace and quiet. Likewise, it
perambulates in processions; but its relics are rags and hungry children.
From a haven of rest, raised up with perhaps some grains of foolish
superstition; from an artistic centre of all that was beautiful; from the
trysting place of enthusiasts, diluted probably with a certain amount of
bigotry, S. Denis has become faithless, hopeless, and restless; bigoted in its
excessive Communism, unjust in its perversion of true Socialism, flaunting
its Anarchic oriflamme in the face of law and order. It is a strange contrast;
but perhaps the cause and effect are nearer allied than is generally
supposed.

SAINTE-ELIZABETH.
Situated in the Rue du Temple, the church dedicated to the great
Hungarian princess formerly faced the entrance to the grim fortress of the
Templars, where the poor little Dauphin sighed out his infant life. The
church was built for the nuns of the third order of S. Francis, of which S.
Elizabeth was a member; and the first stone was laid in 1628 by a very
different sort of Queen, Marie de' Medici. The exterior, with its Doric
pilastered doorway, and the interior, with its poor glass and indifferent
sculptures, are alike utterly uninteresting; but the white marble font, bearing
the date of 1654, and the woodwork which ornaments the aisle of the
sanctuary, are worth a visit. The latter consists of a series of little panels
representing scenes from the Old and New Testament in bas-relief, of the
end of the 16th century, and are said to have been originally in a church at
Arras. There is nothing in the building worthy of its patron, that most
perfect of saints, whether we think of her as woman, as queen, or as mother.
"AVE GEMMA SPECIOSA!
MULIERUM SYDUS, ROSA!
EX REGALI STIRPE NATA,
MUNDO LICET VIRO DATA
NUNC IN COELIS CORONATA;
CHRISTO TAMEN DESPONSATA.
UTRIUSQUE SPONSALIA,
SIMUL SERVANS ILLIBATA;
SARAM SEQUENS FIDE PIA,
ET REBECCAM PRUDENTIA,
O DILECTA! O BEATA!
NOSTRA ESTO ADVOCATA,
ELIZABETH EGREGIA![62]

SAINT-ÉTIENNE DU MONT.

SAINT ÉTIENNE DU MONT.

Upon the summit of the hill which rises up from the Seine, opposite and
on the south side of Notre-Dame, is the church of S. Étienne du Mont.
Some few years ago this "mountain" was an interesting hunting ground to
the archæological explorer and the collector of bric-à-brac; but it has been
so cut through by new streets and boulevards that it has almost been
improved out of existence. At the foot of it, in a little street turning on from
the Quai de la Tourelle, is all that remains of the famous college of the
Bernardins, now used by the sapeurs-pompiers. The college was founded
by an Englishman, Stephen of Lexington, Abbot of Clairvaux, in 1244,
upon some ground belonging to the rich abbey of S. Victor; Alphonse, the
brother of S. Louis, being the titular founder and protector of the
establishment. The great church, begun in 1338 by Pope Benedict XII. and
Cardinal Curti, to replace the one built by Stephen Lexington, was never

finished, but was considered, in the 14th century, to be of great beauty.
(Pope Benedict, as Jacques Fournier, was professor of theology in the
college.) But more fortunate than the church, the refectory has remained
intact in all its beauty until our own time, though unfortunately, in 1845, it
was sadly mutilated in order to adapt it for use as a barrack. A portion of the
cloister may still be seen in the Rue de Poissy, a pointed arch built into the
modern wall of a house with square windows in between. It is time the
municipality of Paris or the Society for the Preservation of Ancient
Buildings bestirred itself to restore the few fragments of old Paris which yet
remain. The Revolution did much damage, but often it only put the
conventual buildings to secular uses without destroying them, leaving for
later governments, and those moreover professedly religious, to utterly
demolish the mutilated monasteries and churches, in order to make straight
streets and spacious boulevards, which, beautiful as they are, do not prevent
us from regretting the past.
The convent of S. Geneviève was founded by Clovis, and so extensive
were its lands and dependencies that ere long it drew to it a large population
of workmen and labourers for the cultivation of its land. A priest, one of the
monks of the abbey, was appointed to take spiritual charge of these people;
and from this commencement grew the parish of S. Étienne. Originally the
congregation met and worshipped in the crypt of the abbey church, which
was dedicated to Our Lady; then the chapel was placed under the protection
of S. John the Evangelist, and called St. Jean-du-Mont. But at the beginning
of the 13th century the congregation outgrew its chapel, and in 1224 the
Bishop of Paris authorised the building of a church by the side of the abbey,
to be consecrated to the memory of S. Étienne, the proto-martyr. This first
church, in fact, was only a part of the abbey; having had no separate
entrance of its own, it could only be entered by a doorway from the choir of
S. Geneviève. The reason for changing its name for the third time was
probably the demolition of a church dedicated to S. Stephen to make space
for Notre-Dame. The memory of the first of martyrs being dear to the
citizens, nothing would be more appropriate than the naming of a new
church to take the place of the old one, although upon a different site. The
first mention of S. Étienne is in the History of Guillaume le Breton, in the
year 1221.
This first church lasted three hundred years, and then again, the
population having increased enormously, S. Étienne was found to be too

small for its congregation, and another and finer church was projected. In
1491 it was deemed better to rebuild than to patch up and enlarge the
church; but many years passed in projects and delays, and it was only in
1517 that the work was actually commenced. Abbot Philippe Lebel finished
the choir in 1537, and in 1541 the Bishop of Mégare consecrated the altars
in the name of the Bishop of Paris; but that the church was not finished in
1552, or even in 1563, the diocesan permission to apply the Lenten
offerings to the work is sufficient proof. The jubé was commenced in 1600,
the porches nine years later, and the chapel of the Virgin (rebuilt) was only
finished in 1661. It was Queen Marguerite de Valois, the lady who so
strangely prances about Paris upon a white palfrey at dead of night in the
much-admired controversial opera, who laid the first stone of the great
portal in 1610; and, moreover, she gave a sum of three thousand livres to
aid the work; but what was this when so much was wanted? All was not
complete until 1626, and meanwhile the alms during Lent were
appropriated to the building fund. However, a glance at a slab of black
marble on the north wall of the nave will tell us that on the 25th February,
1626, the Sunday called Sexagesime, under the pontificate of Urban VIII.,
and in the reign of Louis XIII. of gracious memory, the church and the high
altar were dedicated to the glory of God and of the Virgin Mary by the
"révérendissime messire Jean-François de Gondi," archbishop of Paris.
Another inscription informs the reader of a wonderful accident which took
place on this occasion:—
"Et pendant les cérimonies de la dédicace, devs filles de la paroisse tombèrent dv hauvlt des
galleries du cœvr, avec l'appvy et devx des ballvstres, qui fvrent miraculeusement préservées, comme
les assistants; ne s'étant rencontré personne sovbs les rvines, vev l'affluence dv pevple qvi assistaient
avs dites cérimonies."

Before the Revolution the curé was always one of the regular canons of
S. Geneviève. At the end of the 16th century he was assisted in his duties by
a community consisting of twenty-four priests. In 1791, when the parishes
of the city were reorganized, it was determined to remove the relics, the
ornaments, and the monuments of the abbey church to S. Étienne, and to re-
name the latter after the maid of Nanterre; but the decree was never carried
out. Reforms and resolutions followed each other so rapidly that there was
no time to put them into execution.
S. Étienne is a cruciform building, very much leaning to the right (as is
so common in old churches), with a nave, two aisles, and nineteen chapels.

The transepts scarcely project beyond the nave. The exterior is a mass of
elegant ornamentation, and on the north side, under the windows, is a
passage which connects the porch of the second bay with the charnier, a
sort of cloister, built at the end of the Lady Chapel, exterior to the church.
The enclosure within this cloister was formerly the little burial ground; the
great cemetery being situated in the square which fronts the church.

SAINT ÉTIENNE AND THE OLD CHURCH OF SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE.

There is something extremely coquettish and fascinating about the
building, with its high-pitched roof, springing from a Renaissance façade,
and its 15th century tower surmounted by a pepper-box lantern.
The old church of the abbey, which completely joined S. Étienne, has
been entirely swept away to make room for the Rue Clovis; but the
refectory and the tower still form a part of the Lycée Henri IV., a little turret
at the easternmost angle of S. Étienne indicating the extremity of the
monastery's domains.
Above the great doorway is a bas-relief of the stoning of S. Stephen and
the legend: Lapis templum Domini destruit, lapis astruit. Right and left are
statues of S. Étienne and S. Geneviève, the two patrons; above are Angels
bearing torches. Upon the pediment is the Resurrection, and under the lintel
we read: Stephano archimartyro sacrum. Two Angels above the great rose
window bear the arms of Marguerite de Valois, and at the summit are the
statues of S. Hilary and S. Benedict, patrons of two churches in the parish,
now demolished.

THE SCREEN LOOKING TOWARDS THE CHOIR.

The interior of S. Étienne is no less singular than the exterior. The side
aisles are nearly as high as the nave, and have enormous windows. The
shafts which support the vault of the nave are of great height, and the bays
are of the same elevation as the side aisles. Above these bays is a clerestory,
the windows of which are as broad as they are high, with depressed pointed
arches. In order to diminish the enormous height of the bays, the architect
conceived a curious device. At about one-third of the height of the shafts he
has thrown a depressed arch from pillar to pillar, which forms an elevated
passage round the church. It is arrested at the transepts, but taken up again
round the choir. The passage encircling each pillar is just wide enough to
enable a person to walk. These tournées, as the old records call the gallery,
and the splendid jubé form a distinctive feature of the church. On the side of
the nave the tournée has an open pilaster balustrade, and at the entrance of
the choir it joins the jubé. On each side of this is a spiral staircase leading
up first to the jubé and then, a second flight to the choir gallery, the former
being formed of a single flying-arch supported by two pilasters. The whole
screen is ornamented with rich carving; an Angel with palm leaves is in
each spandrel, and above all is a huge crucifix, completing this beautiful
and original specimen of French Renaissance, the only jubé which has

survived the 17th century restorations. It was the work of a celebrated
sculptor named Biart (père). Upon each side of it is a doorway, surmounted
by a sitting figure, listening to the chanting of the Gospel. Ascende qui
evangelizas Sion. Audiam quid loquatur Dominus meus, are the words upon
the right. At the left: Quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua. Levavi manus
meas ad mandata tua.
The pendant bosses of the nave and crossing are exceedingly rich in
ornament—garlands of flowers, Angels' heads, the Symbols of the
Evangelists, rosettes, and armorial bearings. The central boss of the transept
falls 18ft., and has for ornament Angels playing instruments, the emblems
of the Four Evangelists, and a Lamb encircled with thorns and bearing a
crown.

DOORWAY OF THE SCREEN.

The pulpit was designed by Laurent de la Hire, the painter, and
sculptured by Claude Lestocard. It is a mass of rich carving. A huge Samson
supports the lower part, while upon the canopy are little Angels of the
winged-Cupid tribe, and at the summit a draped Angel with a trumpet.
Samson is sitting upon the lion he tamed with the jawbone of an ass, and
holds the strange weapon in his hand. Sauval remarked that il la porte bien
(the pulpit), and certainly he appears to be doing so without much effort.
The medallions upon the staircase and round the pulpit represent
Evangelists and Doctors, among them Augustin and Jerome, and scenes
from the life of S. Stephen, in which he figures as a preacher. The Cardinal
Virtues go hand in hand in a becoming fashion with the Theological Ladies:

Prudence bearing her mirror, which reflects the wisdom of the serpent hard
by; Justice has her sword; Faith a heart as well as her cross; Hope leans
upon her anchor; Temperance pours out water from an amphora; Courage
holds a dangerous weapon of the mallet order; Charity is surrounded by the
most charming of children. All these statuettes are exquisitely carved.
Behind the preacher the Word of God, bearing the world, blesses those who
preach the Gospel in His name; upon His head the Holy Spirit spreads His
wings. Upon the edge of the canopy little Angels are playing with the
crowns destined for the elect; and at the summit is a larger Angel bearing a
trumpet to awake them from their long sleep. The organ is also a mass of
fine carving: S. Stephen stoned; S. Geneviève and her sheep; the Elders of
the Apocalypse; the "Jewish ladies of the Bible," as a German kindly
interpreted, and the Passage of the Red Sea; above all, our Blessed Lord
ascending to Heaven.
When the Abbey of Port-Royal was destroyed in 1710, the body of
Racine was transferred to S. Étienne and placed in the crypt of the Lady
Chapel by the side of Pascal; and in 1808 a Latin epitaph, composed by
Boileau, which was discovered in the pavement of the church of Magny-
les-Hameaux, was also transferred. Ten years later, on April 21st, 1818, a
great function was held in honour of the poet and the author of those much-
loved Pensées; the Academy sent a deputation, and one of their members,
the Abbé Sicard, officiated.
EPITAPH ON PASCAL.
PRO COLUMNA SUPERIORI,
SUB TUMULO MARMOREO.
JACET BLASIUS PASCAL CLAROMONTA-
NUS STEPHANI PASCAL IN SUPREMA APUD
AVERNOS SUBSIDIORUM CURIA PRAESI-
DIS [63] FILIUS, POST ALIQUOT ANNOS IN SEVE-
RIORI SECESSU ET DIVINAE LEGIS MEDI-
TATIONE TRANSACTOS, FAELICITER ET
RELIGIOSE IN PACE CHRISTI VITA FUNC-
TUS, ANNO 1662, AETATIS 39º, DIE 19ª
AUGUSTI, OPTASSET ILLE QUIDEM
PRAE PAUPERTATIS ET HUMILITATIS
STUDIO ETIAM HIS SEPULCHRI HONO-
RIBUS CARERE, MORTUUSQUE ETIAM-
NUM LATERE QUI VIVUS SEMPER LATERE
VOLUERAT. VERUM EJUS IN HAC PARTE
VOTIS CUM CEDERE NON POSSET
FLORINUS PERIER IN EADEM SUBSIDIO-

RUM CURIA CONSILIARIUS, GILBERTAE
PASCAL BLASII PASCAL SORORIS CONJUX
AMANTISSIMUS, HANC TABULAM POSUIT
QUA ET SUAM IN ILLUM PIETATEM
SIGNIFICARET, ET CHRISTIANOS AD
CHRISTIANA PRECUM OFFICIA SIBI AC
DEFUNCTO PROFUTURA COHORTARETUR.
Another epitaph in the North aisle of the nave records the virtues and
wisdom of Jacques-Bénigne Winslow, the anatomist and member of the
Academy of Sciences, brought back from his evil and heretical ways by the
preaching of Bossuet. Eustache Lesueur, the somewhat feeble painter of the
Life of S. Bruno, was also buried at S. Étienne. Many other names adorn
the list of those laid to rest in the churches or burial grounds of the parish:
Vigenère, secretary to Henri III., 1598; the surgeon, Thognet, 1642; Antoine
Lemaistre, and Lemaistre de Sacy, brought from Port Royal in 1710; the
botanist, de Tournefort, 1708; Rollin, rector of the University, who died in
1741, in the Rue Neuve de Saint-Étienne du Mont, which was re-named
after him.
But it is the glass of S. Étienne which is perhaps its chief glory. Although
a great deal has been destroyed and patched up, much remains which is
quite worthy of study, being, as it is, in the best style of the 16th and 17th
centuries, and the work of Jean Cousin, Claude Henriet, d'Enguerrand
Leprince, Pinaigrier, Michu, François Périez, Nicolas Desengives, Nicolas
Lavasseur, and Jean Mounier. But, unhappily, mendings and patchings have
quite destroyed our power of discovering to which artist the different
windows are due. In the charnier there is a very curious composition,
illustrating the allegory of the wine-press; our Lord lies upon the press in
the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit, bathed in a sea of blood,
which flows from His side, His hands, and His feet. Underneath, the blood
pours down through an opening into a large cask. Prelates and kings[64]
carry to a cellar those barrels which have been filled with the Sacred Blood
by the Doctors of the Church; while, from under a rich Classic portico, we
see the faithful flocking to confess their sins, and to receive the Holy
Eucharist. In the distance, the Patriarchs are digging the ground and pruning
the vines, while the Apostles gather in the vintage. S. Peter throws the
grapes into a vat, and a chariot drawn by the Ox, the Lion, and the Eagle of
the Apocalypse, and guided by the Angel of S. Matthew, carries the Divine
vintage to the four quarters of the earth. Such is the allegory of the wine-
press, the Pressoir mystique, the outcome of the verse of Isaiah: "I have

trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me";
but, unfortunately for the correctness of the illustration, there is, in this
window, a large concourse of people, great and small in worldly means and
wisdom. The window is attributed to the Pinaigriers. Robert Pinaigrier had
painted the subject for the church of S. Hilaire, at Chartres in 1530; and
about a century later Nicolas Pinaigrier reproduced his father's design, with
some modifications, at S. Étienne.
The emblem of the Precious Blood was adopted by many confraternities
of wine merchants, which led Levieil to think that this window was given to
the church by Jean le Juge, a very rich wine merchant. Sauval speaks of this
subject being represented at S. Sauveur, at S. Jacques de la Boucherie, at the
hospital of S. Gervais, and in the sacristy of the Célestins; and l'abbé Lebeuf
notes a window in S. André des Arcs, representing Christ crushed like the
grapes in a wine-press. The cathedral of Troyes and the church of S. Foy at
Conches still possess windows of the same character.

The following verses describe this subject in quaint old French:—
"Heureux homme Chrestien si fermement tu crois
Que Dieu pour te sauuer a souffert a la croix,
Et que les Sacrements retenus à l'Eglise.
De Son sang precieux ont eu commencement;
Qu'en les bien receuant toute offence est remise,
Et qu'on ne peut sans eux auoir son sauuement."
In te Domine Speravi non confundar in aeternum.—PSAL. XXX.
Non nobis Domine, non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam.—PSAL. CXIII.
"Les anciens patriarches
Qui le futur ont sceu
Pour leur Salut ne fu
A cultiuer le Vigne.

"Ce pressoir fut la Venerable croix
Où le sang fut le Nectar de la Vie;
Quel sang celuy par qui le roy des Rois
Rachepta lhomme et sa race asseruie.

"Tous urais Chrestiens le doiuent receuoir
Auec respect des Prebtres de l'Eglise,
Mais il conuient premierement auoir
L'ame constriste, et la coulpe remise.

"Tous les cantons de ce large Vniuers
En ont gusté par les Evangelistes
Edifies ont esté les peruers

Laissant d'Adam les anciennes pistes.

"Dans les Vaisseaus en reserue il fut mis.
Par les docteurs de l'Eglise, pour estre
Le lauement de nos peches commis,
Mesme de ceux qu'on a Venant a naitre.

"Papes, Prelats, Princes, Rois, Empereurs
L'ont au cellier mis avec reuerence,
Ce Vin de vie efface les erreurs,
Et donne a l'Ame une saincte esperance."

This strange design reminds one somewhat of a little chapel near
Partenkirchen, Tyrol. Up the hill is a Way of the Cross and at the summit a
tiny chapel containing a life-size figure of our Lord, behind a grating. At his
feet is a pool of water—I imagine with some miraculous powers; a cup
fastened by a chain allows the passer-by to drink thereof. But the strange
part is the supply of water which comes from our Lord's wounds, and fills
the pool—symbolic of His being the living water, the well from which
whosoever drinketh obtaineth everlasting life. The idea is somewhat
materialistic and startling to the mundane dweller in cities, but to the
simple-minded inhabitants of Tyrol it is full of poetry.
The oldest glass in S. Étienne is in the upper windows of the apse,
representing the apparitions of Christ, to the disciples on the road to
Emmäus, to the Magdalen, to S. Peter, and to the three Maries. In the
western rose window the Eternal Father is vested in the insignia of the
Pope, that common device of 16th century Ultramontanism. Far better is the
design of a window on the north side of the nave: the Eternal Father seated
in glory, with the book of the seven seals on His knees; the Lamb opens it,
the four-and-twenty Elders sit around, and Angels pour the Divine anger
from chalices upon the earth. The donors were evidently a large family, for
they fill up all the lower part of the window, one behind the other, devoutly
kneeling upon their knees. Some little scenes from the legend of S. Claude
are charming in colour and design; so, too, are those from the life of the
Virgin.
In one of the chapels of the nave we see a family repast, symbolising the
wedding feast of the Gospel. The banquet is prepared, but the guests are not
ready; one is going to fetch his wife, another takes an excursion to his

country house, a third is inspecting a couple of oxen—but all beg to be
excused.
The glass of S. Étienne was given by enthusiastic parishioners; indeed,
so much rivalry took place amongst them, to fill the church with richly
coloured windows, that the authorities were obliged to restrain their
eagerness, and to point out that the bells, the porch, and other parts of the
building required their aid.
It was at S. Étienne that Monseigneur Sibour, archbishop of Paris, was
assassinated in 1857, during the neuvaine[65] of S. Geneviève. The
procession had travelled round the church, and was re-entering the nave,
when the assassin, a discontented priest, rushed at the prelate and stabbed
him. He was carried into the presbytery, but died soon after.
The main attraction of S. Étienne is the tomb of S. Geneviève. Long
before the Panthéon ceased to be the church of the maid of Nanterre, it was
to S. Étienne that the faithful journeyed to pray for her intercession, and to
have their belongings laid upon her coffin. Here, any day, but especially
during the octave of her fête, you may see people bringing handkerchiefs,
rosaries, crosses, towels, etc., to be placed in the shrine, in order to carry the
Saint's blessing and help to the sick and the suffering at home. The stone
coffin is said to have been found in the crypt of the abbey church during its
demolition in 1801, but whether it be the original one in which Saint
Geneviève was buried in 511 it is impossible to say, as it is so surrounded
by ornamental ironwork that its workmanship cannot be studied; but the
effect of the little chapel containing this tombeau, with its lights and flowers
and stained-glass, is very charming, and during the neuvaine, when the
church is ablaze with candles, and hundreds of people font queue to the
shrine, it is a sight not easily forgotten.
The history of this culte is elaborately worked out. S. Geneviève was
buried, it is asserted upon pretty good authority, in the crypt of the old
abbey church of the Holy Apostles.

TOMB OF SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE.

When the Normans overran the country, the monks took up the body of
their patroness, and carried it off to distant parts in a wooden box. Peace
being restored, the religious went back to their abbey and repaired the
various tombs, among others those of S. Prudence and S. Céran, Bishop of
Paris; but the remains of S. Geneviève were not replaced in the stone coffin
in which they had previously been laid. A splendid châsse was made for
their reception, and until the Revolution, upon every occasion that the good
citizens of Paris fell into any grievous trouble, the reliquary was carried
about, up and down the "mountain," in and out of the tortuous streets, as a
means of gaining the intercession of the patron Saint. And no less honoured
was the empty tomb; the faithful paid their respects to that, after having
visited the châsse.
In 1628, when Cardinal de La Rochefoucault began to restore the
church, he covered the crypt with costly marbles. In the centre was the
stone coffin of the Saint raised upon a few steps, enclosed by four columns
and an iron grille. Right and left were the tombs of S. Prudence and S.
Céran.
At the Revolution all was dispersed or destroyed, the châsse was turned
into coin, the Saint's bones were burnt on the Place de Grève, and the tomb

broken; but in 1802, when Amable de Voisins became curé of S. Étienne, he
obtained permission from the archbishop, M. de Belloy, to translate the
fragments of the stone coffin to S. Étienne, and to hold the festivals in the
Saint's honour in that church.
During the Neuvaine thousands of persons crowd into the church to visit
the shrine, a few in honour, many more in the dishonour of mere curiosity;
and all round the church are to be seen the same class of itinerant vendors
of goods as at the various fêtes and fairs. At some, they sell gingerbread,
pop-guns, and penny trumpets; at others, and particularly at S. Étienne, their
merchandise consists of rosaries, pious books, medals, and the like; it is a
curious combination of the world and heaven—the flesh in the way of
comfits, vin ordinaire and the devil—religious exercises and le bon Dieu.
"Vous avez reçu le bon Dieu, Madame?" "Mais oui, Mademoiselle; et après,
nous sommes allés, mon fils et moi, déjeûner au restaurant Voltaire," is the
edifying conversation one hears in the omnibus. It is all on a par with the
midnight mass and the Réveillon; Salvation Army drills, Mr. Howler's
tabernacle, and the popular preacher over the wine vaults. Extremes meet,
and people are much the same all the world over; for one earnest man or
woman, you get a crowd of curiositymongers, whether the excitement be in
Paris, or London, or Trèves, or Ober-Ammergau; unfortunately, there is not
much salt in the earth, either Protestant, Catholic, or Agnostic. But if the
salt is wanting, the waxen arms and legs and crutches are numerous enough.
If you glance at S. Geneviève's shrine you will see bundles and bundles;
and then we scoff. Are not they evidence that there is some faith left in the
world, real earnest, trustful faith which believes all things, and hopes all
things. And why not? Can anyone say whether it be more silly to take a
journey, long or short, say some prayers, set up some tapers, present some
flowers and a few pence, than to pin your faith upon pills and potions? In
the one case the power of healing is believed to be in the hands of an all-
merciful God who has promised to answer our prayers when so doing will
be good for us; and in the other, it is thought to reside in pills which are
worth twenty times their price, in nostrums which cure and prevent all the
ills to which man is subjected, and in belts and bands and other such
contrivances. The intercession of those who have gone before is asked by
one set of believers; while the others pray Dr. Faith-Healer to cure them by
letter, or Dr. Bread-and-Senna by his precious compound pills.

But how can S. Geneviève's bones be at S. Étienne when we know they
were burnt on the Place de Grève? is a question answered by the Moniteur
of 3 and 4 Frimaire, in the year II. (23rd and 24th November, 1793), which
declares that the body was not entire; and we further know that previously,
in olden time, relics of the Saint were distributed to many churches, the
abbey of Chelles amongst others.
The ordinary offices at S. Étienne are in no way remarkable for
splendour of ritual or of music, but one is worthy of notice—the Washing of
the Feet in Holy Week. In spite of so-called uniformity, certain functions
have a totally different aspect at the various churches. Take, for instance,
the ceremonies of Holy Thursday, the Washing of the Feet, and the
Distribution of the Bread and Wine. At many churches the priest who
performs this function generally passes down in front of an array of old men
and women; each receives a loaf and a bottle of wine, and that is all. But at
S. Étienne it is a very quaint affair. A square portion of the nave is railed
off; within sit the boys whose feet are to be washed, and upon a table are
rows of loaves and bottles of wine. Then comes the curé, a tall, elegant-
mannered man, and kneeling to each, he washes and wipes their feet, and
then distributes the wine and bread. It is a very curious function; seeing all
those boys taking off their boots in the middle of a church is most
extraordinary; and then the quaint expressions, the keen curiosity or stupid
dull gaze, the costumes and the surrounding audience, form a picture which
is eminently quaint and queer.

SAINT-EUSTACHE.

S. Eustache, often called by the
ancestors of les dames de la Halle Notre-
Dame des Halles, though by no means one
of the oldest of Parisian churches, is, after
the cathedral, the largest. In plan and
arrangement it is Gothic, while its
decorations and details are in the
Renaissance style. It has double aisles,
octagonal shafts, round-headed arches,
and curvilinear tracery. It was finished in
1641, having been more than a century in
building; but in spite of this, the original
plan was carried out, and few churches
that were so long in course of construction
present so harmonious an appearance.
Unfortunately, the west end, the towers of
THE OLD FAÇADE. which were left unfinished, was sacrificed
to the stupid taste of the 18th century;
Mansard de Jouy and Moreau being allowed to replace what an old print
shows to have been an interesting façade, in keeping with the rest of the
church, by the heavy structure we all know, because, forsooth, the artistic
gentlemen of the day found the original to be in a "goût barbare qui
choquait les yeux!"
Père Du Breul (one of the Benedictines of S. Germain des Près), writing
in 1612 in his Théâtre des Antiquités de Paris, speaks of the church as
follows: "Ce sera un des plus beaux bâtiments de l'Europe, s'il peut être
parfait comme il a été commencé; car rien n'y manque pour ce qui est de la
perfection de l'architecture, soit pour le haut exhaussement, les fenêtres et
ouvertures, et aussi l'enrichissement des diverses frises et moulures de
toutes sortes et façons. Toutefois, pour la grande dépense qu'il y
conviendrait faire, il est demeuré imparfait jusques à présent." To meet this
grande dépense, the chancellor Séquier, and the Surintendant de finance,
Claude de Bullion, supplied a considerable sum.
But a church existed upon the same site long before the foundation stone
of the present building was laid by Jean de La Barre in 1532. Whether there
is any truth in the tradition that the Romans erected a temple dedicated to
Cybele upon the spot during the reign of Julian the Apostate, based

probably upon the discovery of a large bronze head of the goddess at the
entrance to the Rue Coquillière, there is no doubt that a chapel under the
patronage of S. Agnes was built in the early ages of Christianity, for an
account of its foundation is given by Gilles Corrozet, the first of the
historians of Paris. It appears that a certain citizen named Jean Alais, in
consideration of his help in financial matters, obtained from the king the
right to levy a tax of a penny upon every basket of fish sold in the market.
Remorse overtaking this modern publican, he begged his sovereign to
revoke the tax; but the victims gained nothing by the repentance, as the
privilege was accorded to another citizen, with an augmentation of the tax.
Thereupon Alais, dying of remorse, was buried near the chapel he had
founded in expiation of his sins, at the spot where a stream passed through
the market. A large stone was placed hard by, which served as a bridge in
time of rain and flood—hence, Pont Alais.
Thus the legend. But the chapel is mentioned for the first time in
authentic documents of the year 1213, when it is described as situated on
the vast territory belonging to S. Germain l'Auxerrois (the eldest daughter
of Notre-Dame), at a little distance from the cemetery of the Holy
Innocents, upon the road leading from the capital to Montmartre. Whoever
may have been the founder, it is mentioned in this same year (1213) as a
parish, for the curé appealed to the abbot of S. Geneviève, and the dean of
Notre-Dame de Chartres, in the matter of a squabble between himself and
the dean of S. Germain l'Auxerrois. Ten years later, it is called the church of
S. Eustache, in a charter giving the sentence delivered by the bishop of
Paris and two of his canons in another squabble between Simon, prestre de
l'église Saint-Eustache, and the dean of S. Germain, who seems to have
been of a combative temperament. This curé's name figures at the head of
the list of rectors of the church, which ends with another of the same name,
the grand abbé Simon who was seized by the Communists, and all but
received martyrdom with Archbishop Darboy and the curé of the
Madeleine, Duguerry. L'abbé Le Beuf records the increase of population,
and the necessary want of a larger church; consequently some relics of S.
Eustache preserved at S. Denis were brought to Paris, and became the
reason for the substitution of the Roman warrior for the gentle maiden
Agnes as patron of the church. But later, the two Saints were combined in
the patronage, probably from the crypt under the Lady Chapel bearing
Agnes' name—a crypt that would be more truthfully called a cellar, from

the use it is, or was, put to by a neighbouring fruiterer. The lease may have
run out lately, in which case it now belongs to the church; as the clergy had
determined to regain possession as soon as possible.
What appearance the first church presented, we know not, but in 1429
the high altar was advanced a foot into the chancel, and the altar of S.
Gregory destroyed, to make a passage to the crypt of S. Agnes. In 1434, the
church was enlarged "pour la multiplication du peuple"; and again in 1466,
an addition required the demolition of the greater part of a house in the Rue
de Séjour (now Rue du Jour), next to the Hôtel de Royaumont. Thirty years
later the bishop gave the churchwardens a little piece of ground situated at
the corner of Pont-Alais, in the Rue Montmartre, in order to extend the
building still farther.
Here a slight digression may not be out of place to relate the legend of S.
Eustache, whose fête day occurs on September 20th, a day, among several
others, when the church is visited by crowds, some of whom go to pray, and
others to hear the exquisite music for which S. Eustache is famous. When
the 20th falls on a weekday, the festival is transferred to the following
Sunday.
S. Eustache was a Roman soldier and captain of the guards of the
Emperor Trajan. His name in early life was Placidus, and he had a beautiful
wife and two fine sons. He lived in great style, practised all the heathen
virtues, notably those of charity and loyalty, and was not only a brave
warrior, but withal, a great huntsman. Now it happened one day, while
sporting in the forest, that a beautiful white stag appeared before him,
having a cross of radiant light between its horns, and on the cross an image
of the Redeemer. Being astonished and dazzled by the vision, he fell upon
his knees, and lo! a voice came from the crucifix and cried to him:
"Placidus, why pursuest thou Me? I am Christ, whom thou hast hitherto
served without knowing Me? Dost thou now believe?" And Placidus fell
with his face upon the ground and said, "Lord, I believe!" And the voice
said: "Thou shalt suffer many tribulations for my sake, and shalt be tried by
many temptations; but be strong and of good courage, I will not forsake
thee." To which Placidus replied, "Lord, I am content. Give thou me but
patience to suffer!" And when he looked up again, the wondrous vision had
faded away. Then he arose and returned to his wife, and the next day the
whole family was baptised, Placidus adopting the name of Eustatius.

But it came about as was foretold by the vision. All his possessions were
spoiled by robbers, and his beautiful and loving wife was taken away by
pirates; poverty stared him in the face, and affliction pursued him. Then one
day, as he wandered forth with his children, he came to a swollen river
which he was obliged to cross; and being troubled as to his means of
fording the torrent, he took one child in his arms and swam across, leaving
the other on the bank. Having placed the little one in a safe nook, he
returned for the other; but when in mid-stream he saw a wolf come out of
the forest, and carry off one child, while a lion appeared upon the opposite
bank, and seizing the other babe, carried it off and made away with it! Then
the wretched father tore his hair and gave way to weeping and lamentations;
but remembering his promise to suffer for Christ's sake, he dried his tears
and prayed for patience and resignation. So he came to a village where he
lived peacefully for fifteen years by the labour of his hands; but at the end
of that time, the Emperor Adrian being on the throne, sent out messengers
to all parts of the Empire to seek for Placidus, as he had need of him; and at
length they found him, and he was restored to his former position, and led
his troops to victory. But although the Emperor loaded him with honours
and wealth, his heart was sad for the loss of his wife and children.
Meanwhile the latter had been rescued from the jaws of the wolf and the
lion, and his wife had escaped from the hands of the pirates; so it came
about, after many years, that they all met again and were re-united; and
Eustace said in his heart: "Surely all my sorrows are now at an end." But it
was not so; for the Emperor desiring to celebrate a mighty victory over the
Barbarians by a great sacrifice to the gods, and Eustace and his family
refusing to offer incense, they were shut up in a brazen bull, and a fire being
kindled under it, they all perished together. Such is the legend, which, like
all the stories of the lives of Saints and early martyrs, shows forth the
steadfastness with which they clung to their faith, and the simplicity with
which they practised the virtues of fortitude, patience, resignation, and
courage. There is a certain similarity between the legend of S. Eustace and
that of S. Hubert; but in art they are easily distinguished, as the former is in
Classic or warrior costume, and the latter is represented either as a
huntsman or a priest. Pictures of S. Eustace are not uncommon; in the Pitti
Palace there is one by Soggi; and somewhere I have seen one by
Domenichino. The traditional date of the martyrdom of S. Eustace is 118,
which is much earlier than that of the other patron of the church, the simple

maiden Agnes, who suffered in 304, and whose fête day is January 21st.
The legend of this Saint is one of the most authentic, and one of the oldest,
being mentioned by S. Jerome, in the 4th century, as popular throughout the
world. Hymns and homilies had been written in her honour from the earliest
times; and her youth and beauty, added to her innocence, had combined to
invest her person with a charm and a fascination which few of the Saints
possess.
Agnes was a Roman maiden of thirteen, filled with all the good gifts of
the Holy Spirit, having loved and followed Christ from her infancy, and
being withal most beautiful, when the son of the Prefect passed her way.
Whether the name was given to her because of her lamblike innocence or
otherwise, is not recorded. The young man no sooner beheld her than he
loved her passionately, and asked her in marriage. But Agnes repelled him,
even though he came laden with gold and gems, and costly ornaments; and,
unlike poor Gretchen, she cried: "Away from me, tempter! for I am already
betrothed to a lover who is greater and fairer than any earthly suitor. To him
I have pledged my faith, and he will crown me with jewels compared to
which thy gifts are dross.... The music of His divine voice has sounded in
mine ears; He is so fair that the sun and moon are ravished by His beauty,
and so mighty is He that the Angels are but His servants."
Hearing these words the youth naturally felt consumed by jealousy and
rage; and he went home, only to fall ill of a fever, and to be sick almost unto
death. The wise medicine men immediately discovered the cause, and told
the Prefect that the illness being unrequited love, their potions could avail
nothing. Then the great man questioned his son, who replied: "My father,
unless I can take me Agnes to wife, I die." Now the Prefect, Sempronius,
loved his son tenderly, and so he went weeping to Agnes' parents, and
besought them to intercede for the youth. But Agnes made the same answer,
and Sempronius was much angered that she should prefer another to his
son, and asked who this great prince might be to whom Agnes was
betrothed. And some one said: "Knowest thou not that the maiden hath been
a Christian from her infancy; and her husband of whom she speaks is none
other than Jesus Christ?" When the Prefect heard this, he rejoiced greatly,
for he knew he could force Agnes to marry his son, by threats of
imprisonment; for an edict had gone forth against the Christians. And so he
sent for Agnes, and told her that since she was resolved not to marry, she
must enter the service of the goddess Vesta. But Agnes replied: "Thinkest

thou that I, who would not listen to thy son, who is yet a man and can hear
and see and move and speak, will bow down to vain images, which are but
senseless wood and stone; or, what is worse, to the demons who inhabit
them?"
When Sempronius heard this he fell into a fury; he loaded Agnes' limbs
with chains, and threatened her with death; and as nothing would prevail, he
ordered her to be exposed to the most degrading outrages; but being
stripped of her garments, she fell on her knees and prayed, and immediately
her hair became so thick and long that it formed a complete covering. Then,
although the onlookers were dismayed, they shut her up in a chamber, and
left her. And suddenly she saw a bright and glistening garment, with which
she clothed herself, praising God and saying: "I thank thee, O Lord, that I
am found worthy to put on the garment of Thine elect!" And the whole
place was filled with miraculous light, brighter than the sun at noonday.
Then the young man thought that if he visited her, Agnes would give
way; but as soon as he entered her chamber he was struck blind, and fell
into convulsions. And the mother and father appearing, and falling into
lamentations and weeping, Agnes was moved with compassion, and prayed
that their son might be restored to health; and her prayer was granted. Then
Sempronius would have saved Agnes; but the people caused a tumult, and
cried out that the maid was a witch and a sorceress, and therefore worthy of
death. And so she was judged and thrown into the fire; but the flames,
refusing to touch her, severely scorched the executioners, which still more
irritated Sempronius and the people. Then the wicked Prefect commanded
the executioners to slay her; and she, looking up to Heaven, yielded up her
pure spirit to her God. And it happened that when her friends were one day
praying at her tomb, in the cemetery on the Via Nomentana, she appeared
unto them arrayed in white, with a lamb whiter than snow. And she said:
"Weep not, dry your tears, and rejoice with exceeding joy; for me a throne
is prepared by the side of Him who on earth I preferred to all others, and to
whom I am united for ever in Heaven." And having thus spoken, she
vanished.
As we have seen, the devotion paid to S. Agnes is of so early a period
that it is quite possible the first chapel in the Halles dedicated to her
memory may date back to the 8th or 9th century; but nothing authentic is
recorded before the 13th century, and no part of the present church of S.
Eustache and S. Agnes is earlier than the 16th century, when it was

commenced during the reign of François Ier. L'abbé Le Beuf gives the name
of the architect as Charles David, and undoubtedly one of that name was
attached to the church, as the fact is recorded upon an epitaph. But as he
died in 1650, at the age of ninety-eight, he must have been born in 1552;
and, the church having been commenced in 1532, this David could only
have been a master of the works, carrying out the design of some
predecessor. A theory has been propounded that this may have been
Dominico da Cortona (Boccadoro), the architect of the Hôtel de Ville, or
one of his pupils, who followed him from Italy; the evidence brought
forward being the similarity of some of the details of the two buildings. S.
Eustache was commenced, as we have seen, in 1532, the Hôtel de Ville in
the following year; but beyond this and a resemblance between the niches
for statues of the two edifices, there is absolutely no evidence for the
supposition, and the name of the architect of S. Eustache remains a hidden
mystery. That he was an accomplished artist, a man having an eye for great
effects, with a first-rate sense of proportion, the church bears witness,
although it has had its detractors ever since it was finished. Too Gothic for
the men patronized by Louis XIV., its Renaissance element shocked the
artistic taste of their successors; called a barbarous style by the first,
because of its Gothic plan, its Renaissance detail was pernicious to the
æsthetic instincts of the latter. It is amusing to read Mr. Dibden's opinion of
the church in his Picturesque Tour,[66] as it is that of a cultured traveller,
and probably is an example of the judgment passed upon S. Eustache by the
artists of his day. "Next in importance to S. Gervais is the Gothic church of
S. Eustache; a perfect specimen, throughout, of that adulterated style of
Gothic architecture (called its restoration!) which prevailed at the
commencement of the reign of Francis I. Faulty, and even meretricious, as
is the whole of the interior, the choir will not fail to strike you with surprise
and gratification. It is light, rich, and lofty. This church is very large, but not
so capacious as S. Gervais, while its situation is, if possible, still more
objectionable." How the good parson could compare the two churches,
apparently to the advantage of S. Gervais, seems extraordinary; for no
unbiassed person can fail to be impressed by the beauty of the proportions
of S. Eustache, its length and height, its effective choir, and its grand, but
simple, altar. With the exception of its glass chandeliers, all the furniture
and accessories are in keeping with the building; there is nothing tawdry,

nor in bad taste; and it lends itself more effectively than even Notre-Dame
to processions and grand ceremonials.

SAINT-EUSTACHE FROM THE HALLES CENTRALES.

After its commencement the building seems to have struggled on for
eight years; when, for want of funds, it remained stationary until 1552,
although some of the altars had been consecrated by the Bishop of Mégare
sixteen years previously. In 1552 it was helped on again by Lenten
offerings, in return for dispensations to consume butter and milk. How
much these dispensations produced, and how long the funds lasted, we are
not informed; but civil war and religious troubles stopped the works again,
and it was not until 1624 that they were resumed. Both Sauval and du Breul
speak of the choir having been commenced in that year, and the latter's
description of it is interesting as showing its original form. "Le chœur est un
des plus beaux et un des plus grands de Paris après celui de Notre-Dame,
large, spacieux, garni de quatre rangées de chaises; l'autel est fort haut en
forme de frontispice, enrichi de six colonnes de marbre, d'un riche tableau
au fond et d'un tabernacle ample et grand de bois ciselé et doré. Toute la
clôture de ce chœur est composée de piliers de cuivre et de marbre. Au
derrière est un autre autel de bois où l'art de la menuiserie n'est pas épargné,
non plus que l'or et le marbre, et dans cet autel est le sainct ciboire où

repose le saint Sacrement." Of the west front, the destruction of which, with
two chapels erected by Colbert and decorated by Mignard, is the cause of
the disproportion of length to height, Du Breul thus speaks: "Le portail est
fort massif, illustré d'ouvrages et ciselures de pierre. Au-dessus de la grande
porte par dehors est une galerie environnée de balustres; au deux coings de
ce portail sont commencées deux grosses tours. En celle de main droicte
sont les cloches. Aux deux costés de devant sont les images de pierre de
Saint Eustache et de Sainte Agnès, patrons de la dite église et au dehors un
assez ample parvis entouré de piliers." Writing a century later Piganiol de la
Force only speaks of this part of the church. "Il était formé par six piliers
buttants d'environ trente pieds de saillie au delà du pignon, dont deux aux
encoignures de dix pieds d'épaisseur; deux autres de treize pieds servaient à
soutenir la poussée des arcades intérieures qui exigeait une grande solidité.
Ces quatre piliers formaient trois travées; dans celle du milieu était la porte
d'entrée; les deux autres avaient été construites pour porter deux tours, et
dans leur intérieur M. Colbert avait fait construire deux chapelles, l'une
pour les mariages et l'autre pour les fonts."
The church was finished and consecrated by Jean de Gondy, first
archbishop of Paris, on the 26th April, 1637. Round the altar were ten
statues, which, according to the taste of the day, were portraits of
contemporaries, although representing sacred personages. They were by
Jacques Sarrazin. Louis XIII. was the embodiment of S. Louis; Anne
d'Autriche and the future Grande monarque were allowed to represent the
Blessed Virgin and her Child. Above these were the patron saints.
It must be remembered by critics who find fault with the disproportion
between length and height of S. Eustache, that an entire bay of the nave and
two chapels were demolished with the west front, thus reducing the length.
One of the chapels, erected at Colbert's expense, must have been of value
artistically, certainly more so than the present west front which was
substituted; for Mignard's frescoes are immortalised by Molière in his
Gloire du Val-de-Grâce. They represented the Heavens with the Almighty
surrounded by Angels, the Circumcision, and the Baptism of Christ:
"Colbert, dont le bon goût suit celui de son maître,
A senti même charme et nous le fait paraître.
Ce vigoureux génie au travail si constant,
Dont la vaste prudence à tous emplois s'étend,
Qui du choix souverain tient par son haut mérite
Du commerce et des arts la suprême conduite,

A d'une noble idée enfanté le dessein,
Qu'il confie au talent de cette docte main,
Et dont il veut par elle attacher la richesse
Aux sacrés murs du temple où son cœur s'intéresse (St-Eust.).
La voilà cette main qui se met en chaleur;
Elle prend les pinceaux, trace, étend la couleur;
Empâte, adoucit, touche et ne fait nulle pose.
Voilà qu'elle a fini: l'ouvrage aux yeux s'expose,
Et nous y découvrons aux yeux des grands experts
Trois miracles de l'art en trois tableaux divers."
The other chapel was decorated by Charles de Lafosse, a pupil of
Lebrun, and the painter of the dome of the Invalides. The subjects were
God, surrounded by the four Evangelists, blessing Adam and Eve, and the
marriage of the Virgin and S. Joseph. These chapels were erected
respectively for baptisms and marriages.
The present west front, ugly and lumbering though it be, with its Doric
portal and Corinthian gallery, had a royal prince to usher it into the world,
no less a personage than the Duc de Chartres, Philippe-Egalité. Had it been
built up in front of S. Nicholas du Chardonnet, or any church of that period,
it might have passed muster; but tacked on to S. Eustache, it is completely
out of place. Were the curé privileged to give the Papal benediction, said an
18th century critic, this porch might have some use; but its only merit is that
it was built upon a sufficiently large scale to save it from insignificance. Let
us turn to the south door, constructed under François Ier, but much restored
since the last siege. Never completely finished, as regards statues and other
ornament, it was so terribly knocked about by the Communists, that niches,
tracery, corbels, and glass had to be renewed; but perhaps, had it not
suffered so much destruction in 1871, we should never have had the
opportunity of admiring it in its completed beauty.
The doors are divided by a pier surmounted by a figure of the Virgin and
Child under an elaborately carved canopy, which stands out upon the plain,
undecorated lintel. In three little niches under these figures are statuettes
representing Faith, Hope, and Charity. In the voussure above the window
are niches for some fifty statuettes, which are still wanting; on either side
are statues of Joachim, S. Anne and two Angels bearing censers. The niches
are formed of pilasters with a pediment, and capitals composed of little
canopies mixed with acanthus leaves. All the details, the fantastic figures
upon the stylobate, the ornament of the pilasters, and the canopies, are in
the best style of the Renaissance. Two rows of arcades lead up to the rose

window, flanked on each side by graceful
turrets. In the centre of the gable is a smaller
rose, surmounted by a stag's head with a
crucifix between the horns, emblem of the
conversion of the warrior Saint. A curious
sundial is fixed to the wall between the two
arcades; and at the intersection of the
transepts and nave is an open-work turret.
Between the chapels are Composite pilasters
supporting the cornice; the capitals are
enriched with masks, Angel's heads,
monograms, and divers emblems; in one case
the double L L crowned, in another, foliage,
animals, and Genii. Flying buttresses support
the nave, choir, and transepts; and a
multitude of gargoyles, fantastic in design,
representing men, women, and children, with
foliage terminations, and mostly winged,
surround the pilasters of the aisles. On one of
these is the date 1629.
The building, which blocks up a part of
the chapel of Our Lady, was another
excrescence of the reign of Louis XIV., and
the work of Moreaux; it is used as a treasury
and vestry. Above the chapel of the Virgin is
a belfry erected in the 17th century,
surmounted by a cross and the ship of the PART OF THE SOUTH DOOR.
city of Paris. The bell weighs 2,500
kilogrammes. It was preserved by the Revolutionists in consequence of its
usefulness; but a shell from Montmartre on the 25th of May, 1871 (during
the Commune), set fire to the steeple. The blaze was soon extinguished, but
not before it had done a considerable amount of harm. The north door is of
later date, 1640. It has two turrets, in one of which is a staircase leading up
to the presbytery. S. Eustache, costumed as a Roman warrior, guards the
doorway upon the central pillar; while S. Denis bearing a palm, and S.
Geneviève with a lamb at her feet, keep watch upon each side. The socles
are ornamented with the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Courage, Justice,

and Temperance, which were discovered some years ago, hidden behind a
shop for the sale of religious books and images which obstructed the
entrance to the passage. The capital of one of the pilasters upon this side of
the church is well worth attentive study. In the midst of some foliage is a
child bearing a basket of fruit, and on each side are two young and beautiful
Genii forming a sort of buttress to the abacus.
On entering the church the effect is most impressive, and upon any great
festival, or during the evening services of the Adoration Perpétuelle, when
the whole east end is ablaze with candles, few churches can compare with it
in grandeur. Nowhere else is to be found such a curious combination of
styles, with a more harmonious result. The architect's ambition must have
been to prove that two styles so opposed to each other in every respect were
capable of being united with the best effect. The Renaissance of S. Eustache
seems to give new life to the dying Gothic, by marrying its pilasters, its
columns, and its Greek pediments to the pointed groining and arches.
Like the generality of early churches, S. Eustache leans a little to the
right; whether in consequence of some peculiarity of the ground, or
symbolically of the drooping of the head of the Saviour upon the cross, we
cannot tell. There are double aisles on each side, and adjoining them a
series of chapels, the depth of which varies, as the church is wider at one
end than at the other. All the arches are round with the exception of those of
the apse, which are pointed. The entire church is 88 mètres 48c in length,
and 42 mètres 74c in width. The height of the nave is 33 mètres 46c. The
clerestory is filled with stained glass by Cartaux, of elegant design and
harmonious colouring. In some of the details, as for instance the corbels, we
see the same ideas that flitted across the brains of the Mediæval sculptors—
namely, that of carving masks representing heads of devils and monsters,
some grinning, some scowling, all more or less hideous and bizarre.
The banc d'œuvre, a sort of pew erected opposite the pulpit for the clergy
and Monsieur le Maire and his assistants during sermon, is a chef-d'œuvre
of Renaissance sculpture in wood. Its design is the glory of S. Agnes, the
young martyr being represented kneeling upon the summit of the
entablature, with outstretched arms; Angels descend with palms in their
hands to give her the crown of life. Below, between the Ionic columns, two
other Angels support a medallion, which a third hangs to the roof of the
arch. Upon this medallion a crucifix is carved, the figure of which is in
plaster; for, unfortunately, time and wanton destruction have done their

work upon the ornament, a good deal of it being now only of stucco. Upon
the side panels were the monograms of the two patrons interlaced (if I
remember aright); these were taken down, or covered up, some few years
ago, to give place to marble slabs recording the names of all the curés of the
parish, from Simon, prestre de l'église in 1223, to l'abbé Simon, one of the
actors in the tragedy of the Commune, which he survived only a few years.
Owing to the luck of the back of the pew being decorated with a medallion
upon which are the Roman fasces crowned with laurel leaves, the men of
the First Revolution left it intact—the emblems were Republican; that was
enough. The banc, which cost the Regent Orléans 20,000 livres, was
executed by Lepautre from the drawings of Cartaux. One would imagine,
thereby, that the Duke was a benefactor to the church; but if he gave with
one hand, he took away with the other, and being a great connoisseur in
matters artistic, he determined to get possession of a picture belonging to
the church, painted by Valentin, of S. James kneeling. Being unable to
persuade the curé to give it up, we may infer he sent his emissaries (in other
words, hired thieves) to carry it off, and put a copy in its place. The whole
affair was studiously planned and carried out; but the church authorities
compelled the royal pirate to pay them 20,000 livres in compensation.
The pulpit, with its canopy, is a handsome specimen of carving, with
figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity on three medallions. It replaces the old
pulpit which was executed from drawings by Lebrun. The organ case is as
beautiful as the instrument it encloses. Put up in 1854, architecturally, it is
in the style of the church itself. The lower part consists of a gallery of
Corinthian columns and arcades, united by a balustrade which follows the
curves of the stone tribune upon which it rests. The case is ornamented at
the top with figures of Saul brandishing a javelin and David holding his
harp, with which he hopes to calm the King's anger—emblem of the power
of music to humanise evil men's passions. In the centre stands S. Cecilia,
with her organ and palm—the martyred patroness of the divine art. These
statues are by the eminent sculptor, M. Guillaume. The frieze is a series of
winged Cherubim; and in various parts are griffins, harpies, birds, chimeras,
swans, spitting serpents, and little birds and lizards—a whole army of
strange creatures, subdued by the sweet strains of the Voix céleste.
The great boss which descends from the centre of the transept is nine
mètres long, composed of colossal Angels holding the cross; other bosses
are also remarkable, having emblems of the Holy Spirit, monograms, little

Angels, and heads of Seraphim. The rose of the south transept is the older
of the two; the window below it has for subject the Birth of Christ, which
occupies the five upright divisions and the six hexagons of which the
window is composed. Upon the pier, between the two parts of the south
door, stands a Gothic statue which belonged to the earlier church, the
pedestal being ornamented with charming little statuettes. On each side of
the transept are figures of the Apostles, and bas-reliefs in enamelled terra-
cotta of the patrons of music, S. Ambrose and S. Gregory the Great. Here,
too, are frescoes painted by Signol of The Entombment; with the Four
Evangelists, and the Cardinal Virtues. In the north transept is a statue by
Delaplace of the patroness, and wall paintings by Signol, to correspond with
those of the south transept, the principal subject being The Way of the
Cross.
One remarkable feature of the church is the placing of a corbel under the
capitals of the pilasters. Those in the choir are of winged Cherubim, while
in the rest of the church various grotesque monsters, human and animal,
figure in their stead. The glass in the east end bears the date 1631 and the
name of Solignac, a verrier totally unknown to fame, but an "artiste
distingué," as our neighbours say, when nothing more flattering suggests
itself to their minds and lips. S. Eustache figures upon the central light,
under a colonnade in perspective, and upon each side of him are the four
Latin Fathers and the twelve Apostles. Above our heads we see a rich
groined roof, and a boss which is more wonderful than beautiful. Groups of
Angels' heads and numberless Cherubim sitting upon clouds are interlaced
with a large crown; the whole being about ten mètres in length.
In 1795, upon the suppression of the convent of the Canonesses of
Picpus, S. Eustache, for a consideration of 5,000 francs, gained possession
of the nuns' beautiful stalls, which have since been a notable part of the
church, especially the misereres and the curious little stools upon which the
enfants de chœur sit.
The pavement and the altar are modern; the former, of various coloured
marbles, having been laid in 1869. The altar is raised upon five steps; in the
centre is the tabernacle under a domed baldachino, the whole being in white
Paros marble, designed by M. Baltard. All the sculptures are enriched by
gilding. In the centre is the Sacrifice of the Lamb, with grapes and corn
encircling it. On each side, the symbols of the four Evangelists—the Angel,
the Lion, the Ox, and the Eagle; the bull in which S. Eustache was

immolated; the ropes and chains, a sword, some palms and lilies, all
suggestive of S. Agnes. The baldachino having been found to be out of
proportion to the rest of the altar, a pilaster, destined to hold pans for
burning incense, was placed at each extremity; but the effect of the whole is
good, nay, even beautiful, in spite of the want of proportion. The doors of
the tabernacle, in gilt bronze, are chased with great care and elegance.
Before the Revolution, a bas-relief said to have been sculptured by Daniele
da Volterra,[67] representing The Entombment, formed the reredos. The gates
of the choir are composed of modern ironwork, by M. Calla, of excellent
design.
Under the west door is a white marble bust of Chevert, a warrior whose
deeds and virtues may be read upon his epitaph, composed by d'Alembert:
CY-GIT
FRANÇOIS CHEVERT
COMMANDEUR, GRAND'CROIX DE L'ORDRE DE SAINT-LOUIS,
CHEVALIER DE L'AIGLE BLANC DE POLOGNE,
GOUVERNEUR DE GIVET ET DE CHARLEMONT,
LIEUTENANT GENERAL DES ARMÉES DU ROY.
SANS AYEUX, SANS FORTUNE, SANS APPUY,
ORPHELIN DÈS L'ENFANCE,
IL ENTRA AU SERVICE A L'AGE DE XI ANS,
IL S'ÉLEVA A FORCE DE MÉRITE,
ET CHAQUE GRADE FUT LE PRIX D'UNE ACTION D'ÉCLAT.
LE SEUL TITRE DE MARÉCHAL DE FRANCE
A MANQUÉ NON PAS A SA GLOIRE
MAIS A L'EXEMPLE DE CEUX QUI LE
PRENDRONT POUR MODÈLE
IL ÉTAIT NÉ A VERDUN SUR MEUSE, LE 2
FÉVRIER 1695. IL MOURUT A PARIS,
LE 24 JANVIER 1769.

PRIEZ DIEU POUR LE REPOS DE SON AME
The picture of the Martyrdom of S. Eustache, hard by, is by Simon
Vouet, and was the gift of Louis XIV. Sold during the Revolution, it was
bought by Cardinal Fesch, at whose death it was purchased by M. Moret,
for presentation to the church.

It will be seen that the outer wall of the church is oblique, and,
consequently, that the first two chapels are not deep enough even to contain
an altar. In 1849, when some repairs were going on, it was discovered that
the chapels had all been painted and gilt, and duly smeared over, after the
fashion of our forefathers, with sundry coats of whitewash. These being
removed, enough of the original decoration remained to restore it to its
former splendour, which was done under the superintendence of M. Baltard.
The chapel of the Virgin was painted by M. Dénuel, the others by M.
Séchaut, while the renewing of the sculpture was the work of MM. Gallois
and Poignant.
The first chapel, called that of the City of Paris, being too shallow for an
altar, has the following inscription engraved in golden letters upon a black
marble slab:—
"L'an mil six cent trente sept, le vingt-sixième jour d'avril, deuxième
dimanche d'après Pasques, cette église, ayant été rebastie de fonds en
comble, a été de nouveau desdiée et consacrée avec le maistre autel d'icelle,
à l'honneur de Dieu, soubs l'invocation de la bienheureuse Vierge Marie et
des bienheureux martyrs sainct Eustache et saincte Agnès et de sainct
Louis, confesseur, jadis roy de France, par révérendissime père en Dieu,
messire Jean-François de Gondi, premier archevêque de Paris, conseiller du
Roi en ses conseils, commandeur de ses ordres et grand maistre de chapelle
de sa Majesté. Ce requérant, vénérable et discrète personne maistre
Estienne Tonnelier, presbstre, docteur en théologie et curé de la dicte église,
avec haut et puissant seigneur Mons. P. Séguier, chevalier, chancelier de
France, M. Maistre Gratien Menardeau, conseiller du roi en la cour du
Parlement, honorable Jean Bachelier et Charles Gourlin, marchands
bourgeois de Paris, au nom et comme Marguilliers de l'œuvre et fabrique
d'icelle église. Et a ledit sieur Archevêque donné indulgence en la forme
ordinaire de l'église à tous ceulx et celles qui visiteront annuellement la
dicte église, le deuxième dimanche d'après Pasques, jour et feste de la
dédicace d'icelle."
This chapel is decorated with the arms of the city of Paris, the ship[68];
and upon each of the others will be found the arms of the founders.
The chapel of Calvary was founded by the Counts of Castille, and was
originally dedicated to S. Peter. It contains a crucifix, souvenir of a mission
preached in 1825, and was the burial-place of François and Nicolas de

Castille, conseillers du roi, who died in 1630 and 1634 respectively. In the
chapel of S. Cecilia may be seen a little fresco in a very good state of
preservation, representing the titular Saint holding the sword of her
martyrdom, and S. Leonard. Sold in 1604 to Claude de Montescot, treasurer
des parties casuelles, it was originally known by the name of S. Claude.
Buying a chapel seems to have been the custom; and we find that of the
Holy Innocents costing 1,100 livres to the Chantereau-Lestang family. The
fresco was painted in 1850 by M. Barre, and relates to S. Joseph, to whom
the chapel was dedicated some twenty years ago. The sculptures are of the
time of Louis XIII.
In the chapel Des Ames du Purgatoire, founded by the Gentian family in
honour of the Holy Sepulchre, reliquaries may be seen containing a portion
of the Sepulchre, and of the column upon which Our Lord was bound
during the flagellation—so said Cardinal Patrizzi, who has authenticated the
relics. More beautiful, and at least as authentic, are the frescoes by M.
Margimel, representing the Descent into Hades. Moses and David are seen
with other Old Testament worthies, the group of Adam and Eve with their
children being particularly happy in its treatment. Below, of course, are
purgatorial flames and a bruised serpent, with the inscription Ecce agnus
Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi. The opposite picture is less satisfactory, it is
a conventional reading of the Eternal Father pitying the sufferings of the
Son, who is attached to the pillar between weeping Angels. The elegant
Renaissance re-table, and a statue by Chartrousse of a mother clasping a
cross, with the text: Bienheureux ceux qui pleurent, parce qu'ils seront
consolés, complete the contents of this chapel. The vaulting is very
graceful, and is supported by corbels. The altar is a carved wood
representation of Christ upon the Mount of Olives. The founder of this
chapel or chantry was a descendant of Jean-Jacques Gentian, who saved the
life of Philippe le Bel at the battle of Mons in 1304, for which act Gentian
was allowed to incorporate the lilies into his arms. He died in 1305, and
was buried on this spot in the old church; his descendant, a master
merchant, was buried in the chapel in 1578.
It is curious to see how these chapels have changed names, and the why
and wherefore. For instance, the first one in the chevet was consecrated in
1608 to the Three Kings, the original founder being Guillaume Morot, one
of the king's councillors and contrôleur des finances. Then it passed into the
hands of the Puysieux family. In 1780 it was called the chapel of S. John the

Baptist, in memory of Jean-Baptiste Fleuriau, chevalier d'Armenonville,
keeper of the seals, who died at Madrid, and was transported to S. Eustache
for burial. Charles Fleuriau, count de Morville, a minister, was buried here
in 1732. These d'Armenonvilles inhabited an hotel in the Rue Jean-Jacques
Rousseau, which has been swallowed up by the post office. The hide
merchants held the meetings of their guild in this chapel. In 1843 it was
dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and is decorated by M. de Larivière to
celebrate that article of faith, the four personages who accompany Our Lord
being Pope Clement XIII., the zealous devotee of the Sacré Cœur; the
blessed Marie-Marguerite Alacoque, of the order of the Visitation, and the
discoverer of the miracle at Paray-le-Monial; the reverend father La
Colombière, who defended the apparition against the unbelievers; and
Monseigneur de Belzunce, bishop of Marseilles, who, in putting the city
under the protection of the new dogma, saved it from the effects of a
grievous pestilence, by causing the immediate retreat thereof to less
favoured purlieus. In the next chapel we come upon more relics. The
Rouillé family, and the Lecouteulx de Canteleu, founded it, and dedicated it
to S. Margaret; but after the Revolution, S. Joseph was called in as patron,
and as S. Agnes required a special altar, this was once more changed in
name, and made over to her good protection in 1850. Or possibly the
acquisition of her relics required a resting-place fitted specially for them.
They consist of three fingers of the Saint from the abbey of S. Corentin,
near Septeuil, and a pretty large portion of one of her ribs from the
cemetery of S. Priscilla at Rome, given by Marie-Félix des Ursins,
Duchesse de Montmorency, Supérieure de la Visitation de Moulins. The
picture over the altar is attributed to Titian or Giordano; the modern
frescoes are by M. Vauchelet: the Martyrdom of S. Agnes, in which one
executioner is thrown down by the rush of flames, while the other, avenging
himself upon the innocent victim, cleaves her head asunder with a sword.
When Archbishop Sibour verified the relics of S. Anne, in 1853, a chapel
was dedicated to her, displacing Notre-Dame de Pitié, S. Adrien, S. Hubert,
and S. Jacques. One would imagine, that is, the blasphemer might imagine,
that saints would not take it well when they are deposed and supplanted, but
possibly, being in higher realms than ours, they see the insignificance of
such proceedings. The frescoes are by Lazerges.
It was in the west chapel, that of the Holy Angels, that the 17th century
mural paintings were discovered. So completely were they enveloped in

whitewash, that they escaped the vandalism of the last century. The Duval
family founded the chantry. They seem to have had various posts under the
government. Nicolas was a councillor in 1542; Jérôme in 1543; Jean was a
receiver of taxes and the payer of members of Parliament, besides being a
councillor in 1584; another Nicolas was councillor in 1585; Tristan was lord
of Fontenay; François, ambassador at Rome; and Catherine's husband,
Christophe Harlay, was Seigneur de Beaumont, président of the parliament,
and father of the président Harlay. The fresco representing the Triumph of S.
Michael over the revolting Angels is by M. Cornu. Above the altar is
another fresco of Christ in Glory, with S. Lucretia and S. Radegonde, queen
of France, and afterwards a nun at Poitiers, kneeling at His feet. The Saints
appear with the donors, aforesaid, clad respectively as chevalier, priest, and
bourgeois. Here were buried Marguerite Duval, Jean Lesecq, and a
Seigneur de Bridevalles, Nicolas Lesecq, who was the king's chafe-wax,
and sealer of the chancellery, and who, worthy man, left twelve sous to the
organist, and three to the bellows blower. Françoise-Madeleine Lesecq, who
lived in the Hôtel de Gesvres, Rue Coq-Héron, since incorporated into the
Caisse d'Epargne, was also buried here.
Formerly, before Louis XIV. admitted them to the
Louvre, the Guild of Painters and Sculptors held its
meetings in the Rue Trainée, and its fêtes and
funeral masses in the chapel of S. André in S.
Eustache; in consequence of which the king, to do
honour to the Academy, allowed its rector, Antoine
Coysevox, to add the royal lily to his arms, and to
place them in this chapel, thus honouring Coysevox
at the same time as his fellow sculptors and painters.
The guild was founded by Lebrun, and held its
meetings at the Sieur Martin de Charmois' house.
This Seigneur de Lauré was secretary to Marshal
Schomberg; and full of zeal for art and artists, was
THE CROSS BEARER the author of the scheme of a guild. Signed by
OF S. EUSTACHE. Lebrun, Sarazin, Perrier, Bourdon, de la Hire
Corneille, Juste d'Egmont, Vanolstat, Hause, de
Guernier, Errard, Van-Mol, Guillier, and Eustace Lesueur, the petition was
presented to the king, and supported by chancellor Séguier and de la
Veillière, it obtained the royal assent. Like our later foundation, the

Academy made several moves before it was finally settled. First in
Charmois' house, it migrated to the Hôtel Clisson, Rue des Deux-Boules,
where it held its meetings until the squabbles of the rival artists subsided,
and accommodation was found for the members at the Louvre. Most
appropriately, the decoration of this chapel was given in 1850 to Isidore
Pils, one of the great painters of the latter part of this century, so well
known by his Battle of the Alma, the Mort d'une Sœur de Charité, and La
Prière à l'Hospice. The subjects are from the life and death of the titular
saint, Andrew; on one side, his crucifixion upon the transverse cross which
bears his name; upon the other, Angels bearing him to heaven. In the latter,
a more delicious little group of children, soi-disant Angels, has rarely been
painted, even by that master of chubby and graceful babies, Prud'hon. Pils,
says M. l'abbé Koeneg[69] loved children, and he certainly painted them as
none but a lover of childhood could have done. The chapel Richelieu was
founded by the great cardinal, and is the burial place of the Vrillière family,
whose hotel is now the Banque de France. The door close by is called the
Porte de la Miséricorde by reason of its paintings, which represent the
Seven Works of Mercy. They are by M. Biennourry.
The Chapelle des Catéchismes is a very ancient foundation, having been
erected in the old church by Louis d'Orléans, the brother of Charles VI., in
honour of S. Michael. Two centuries later, the Orléans family sold it to
Président Forget, and a chapel was built out of it to serve, first as a sacristy,
and then as a room for confraternities to hold their meetings in. The
staircase is very elegant, with its handsome wrought-iron grille and
balustrade of the time of Louis XVI. The chapel seems to be used now as a
boys' vestry, and the effect of the acolytes in their red cassocks and white
albs passing up or down this beautiful flight of steps is picturesque in the
extreme. S. Eustache is one of the few churches in Paris which has not
adopted the Roman use as regards the dress of the acolytes, who still wear
the long alb plaited or trimmed with lace, and the sash, red, white, or pale
blue, according to the season. Years ago, before the Parisian rite was
superseded by the Roman, there were many little differences in the ritual; to
wit, the two precentors sitting near the chancel grille, vested in copes, and
at certain times during mass marching up and down the choir. Then again,
on great festivals, six men holding censers stood in a row, and throwing
them up, knelt upon one knee to catch them. The effect of this during
Benediction was grand in the extreme; the Roman practice of two boys

gently swinging the censers bearing no comparison to the Parisian. The
Lady chapel, known as Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours, served in the 17th
century as the assembling place of various charitable societies, and notably
of the Société de Bons-Secours, which was so much patronised by the
noblesse and the rich tradespeople. The chapel is in the same style as the
side ones, and is a mass of colour, the decorations being by M. Dénuel. The
frescoes were originally undertaken by Ary Scheffer, who, perhaps
fortunately for posterity, was so long working out his subject that he gave
the matter up, Couture taking his place. But great artist as he was, Couture
was hardly the man to decorate a church; his work and his sympathies were
so eminently Classic in style, that it is difficult to feel that his paintings
illustrate pages of Gospel history and legendary lore. There is no more
religious sentiment in Couture's work than in the Eclectic decadence of
Italy, or the 18th century French school. Many persons object to our latest
group of religious painters; but the feeling expressed in the pictures of M.
Lhermitte, of Bastien-Lepage, of Mr. C. Pierce, of M. Dagnan-Bouveret,
and even in M. Béraud's Crucifixion, to say nothing of Herr Uhde's work, is
far more religious than in many, one might almost say, in most of the
frescoes and pictures by modern artists in the various churches.
Sentimentality is not religious sentiment, and cast-up eyes do not
necessarily express devotion. Again, the light is so bad in this chapel that it
is very difficult to judge of Couture's work, even from the æsthetic point of
view; and therefore we cannot think this picture equal to the grand Romains
de la Décadence in the Louvre. The altar is a handsome specimen of the
reign of Louis XIII., but the statue which surmounts it, by Pigalle, has the
usual sentimental character of 18th century sculpture. A plaque informs the
faithful that it was blessed by Pius VII. in 1804; but, unfortunately, a pope's
blessing will not turn a piece of marble into a fine work of art.
The chapel of S. Louis de Gonzague was the property of the Colbert
family, and contains the tomb of the great minister. The monument was
executed from a design by Lebrun, and, although of the usual type of that
period, it is not without a certain grandeur. A black marble sarcophagus
supports the kneeling figure of Colbert, arrayed in the robes of the order of
the Saint-Esprit. The hands, joined in prayer, are exquisitely modelled. The
expression of the face is fine, and the flow of the draperies is well executed.
At the foot of the monument are figures of Religion by Tubi and Abundance
by Coysevox; the latter a good example of the sculptor's style. This was one

of the monuments saved from the Vandal mob in 1792, by Lenoir, who
marched it off to the museum of the Petits-Augustins, where it remained
until 1801, when it was returned to S. Eustache.
More relics are to be seen in the next chapel, those of S. Pierre
l'Exorciste, a saint who suffered in the neighbourhood of Rome, having
obligingly dug his own grave previously to being beheaded. The
authenticity of the relics are vouched for by the sign manual of Cardinal
Caprara. One requires faith to believe in the authenticity of these, or any
other relics; not that one doubts their preservation by loving hands after the
martyrdoms, but there is a great gulf of time which is not easily bridged
over. Take, for instance, the relic of the True Cross kept at Notre-Dame. It is
not at all improbable that the cross might have been preserved by the
friends of Our Lord; and the same remark applies to many of the other
relics with which S. Louis and others adorned the Sainte-Chapelle—the
Spear, the Handcuffs, the Crown of Thorns, even the linen stained by the
precious blood. That the Apostles, or S. Joseph of Arimathea, or
Nicodemus, or S. Mary and her sister Martha, would have done their best to
gain possession of these relics of their dear Master, is not only possible, but
probable. We are all relic-mongers at heart; our forefathers gathered
together the remains of saints and martyrs; we ourselves keep locks and
curls of hair, babies' teeth, bits of clothing, rings, and photographs. Where is
the difference? If the lost first-born's only tooth is precious to its mother,
why should not S. Holocaustus' toe-nail be equally so to those who live in
the Saint's parish or commune? We have Charles I.'s hair, and Queen
Elizabeth's stockings; and there is no reason why a thousand years hence
they should not still be in their cases. But if a great upheavement took
place, such as the siege of Jerusalem, or the first French Revolution, the
saving of such relics would be difficult, although not by any means
impossible. Take the finding of the True Cross by S. Helena early in the 4th
century. If this be true, it is by no means impossible that it was preserved up
to the time of S. Louis. Nor is it impossible that someone connected with
the church of S. Denis should have secreted the relic before the desecration
of the tombs in 1793. Rumours precede acts; and having a valuable relic,
why not hide it away when dangers lurk in the distance? But if so, why did
not this person preserve the vessels in which the relics were kept? Why not
have buried all those costly chalices, crosses and reliquaries? Why have left
them to be seized upon by profane hands and melted up, if there were time

to save their contents? But the chief difficulty is to account reasonably for
the gap between the Crucifixion and the finding of the Cross; and it requires
such a long bridge of faith to traverse this space of three hundred years that
one feels reluctantly obliged to take the "Invention" of the Cross in its most
literal sense.
The arms over the chapel of the Sainte-Madeleine are those of France
barré, commemorating the foundation (in the old church) by Charles,
Comte de Valois, duc d'Angoulême, a natural son of Charles IX., that most
excellent Christian king and zealous son of the Church, who persecuted and
slaughtered heretics for the good of their souls, thereby converting them (in
the next world) from the error of their ways, and so covering his own
multitudinous sins and wickednesses. There is a handsome confessional of
carved wood, period Louis XV., in this chapel; and in the next, the relics of
S. Vincent de Paul are enclosed in a fine Louis XIV. châsse. Lest any reader
doubts the correctness of my translation, let me give the list of these relics
in the original. "Les reliques de St. Vincent de Paul se composent d'une
image teinte du sang du saint prêtre retrouvée légèrement coagulé quand on
a ouvert son tombeau, de deux médailles formées de sa chair et de ses os
mis en pâte, d'une parcelle de sa chair, de fragments de son suaire, de la
soutane qu'il portait de son vivant, de la soutane dont il a été retrouvé vêtu
dans sa bière, enfin d'un morceau de cette bière. Le tout est muni du cachet
de la Mission et accompagné de quatres authentiques signés par MM. les
supérieurs de Saint-Lazare." This and the S. Madeleine are the oldest of the
chapels, and are both architecturally fine, with wrought-iron grilles of
elegant and cunning workmanship. The paintings (1634), attributed to
Simon Vouët or his Italian pupils, represent scenes in the life of S. Anne, to
whom the chapel was originally dedicated by Anne de Monsigot, dame de
Bourlon, who may be seen humbly sitting upon the stairs of the temple,
with her two children standing by her side; while above, the high priest
Zachariah is receiving the Blessed Virgin, who is presented by her mother
and father. Very beautiful are the Angels bearing the instruments of the
Passion, which are painted upon the eight compartments of the ceiling.
The founder of the chapel of S. Geneviève was one Jehan Brice, a
merchant, whose desire that it should be richly decorated was carried out by
the widow, Guillemette de l'Arche, in 1546, who is said to have been the
heroine of a tale, which has been made familiar to us through the Italian
opera of La Gazza Ladra. It appears that an old MS. in the possession of M.

Boblet gives the list of foundation masses in the parish, and amongst them
is one entitled La Pie Voleuse, which was said daily for the poor servant
unjustly accused of stealing the spoon, found later on in the roof of the
church. But the unwonted hour fixed for the mass, 4 a.m., and the name
thereof, seem rather to point to the magpie than to the maid. May not the
mass have been for the thief rather than for the innocent damsel? And was it
not made thus early to assure the attendance of all the feathered tribes (who
are wont to rise betimes), and to be unto them at once a warning and a duty
paid to their cousin-german, the mean and wicked magpie? A Tobias and
the Angel, by Santi di Tito, belonging originally to Louis XV., and ascribed
to Andrea del Sarto, is of a certain interest. The frescoes, taken from the life
of S. Louis in the chapel bearing his name, are amongst the best in the
church. M. Barrias has thrown much grandeur into his subject, S. Louis
carrying the Crown of Thorns to the Sainte-Chapelle; but no one has so
thoroughly depicted the ascetic beauty of the King, his true piety and
unflinching faith, as M. Olivier-Merson in the wall-paintings of the corridor
of the Cour de Cassation, in the Palais de Justice. In all the works of the
latter painter the truest religious sentiment is invariably to be found; and if
he errs upon the side of ugliness, is it not an infinitely smaller fault than the
sentimental upturned eyes and radiant beauty of the German religious
painters of the Cornelius and Hesse schools?
The tribune over the sacristy door was put up by the Duchesse d'Orléans,
Adélaïde, the mother of Louis Philippe, in 1778, that she might enjoy
privacy when she was present at the offices. It is a noble example of the
finished style of Louis XVI.
Amongst the treasures of S. Eustache are an ivory crucifix in the
sacristy: a bone of the patron Saint, from the cemetery of S. Priscilla, given
in 1660 by Pope Alexander VII. to Sieur Chauvin; a tooth, formerly in the
church of S. Jacques-l'Hôpital; and some bones of S. Eustache and his wife
and children, said to have been formerly amongst the treasures of S. Denis;
but I find no record of them in Dom Millet. The frescoes in the chapel of
the patron Saint were painted by M. le Hénaff, in imitation of those found in
the catacombs of Rome, the painter having copied the incorrect drawing as
well as the fervent feeling of the early painters.
One or two more pictures by Vouët may be seen; and in the chapel of the
Redemption are the frescoes of M. Glaize, one of the few painters who
seems to have understood the spirit in which a church should be decorated.

L'ADORATION PERPÉTUELLE AT SAINT-EUSTACHE.

S. Eustache was a royal parish up to the great crash at the end of the last
century; its domain extended from the Chaussée des Gaillons to the Rue S.
Denis, and being in the centre of the great world, it was very fashionable.
Hard by were the royal palaces, and the new and "magnifique bastiment de
l'hostel royal dit des Tuileries lez Paris, pour ce qu'il y avoit anciennement
une tuilerie audict lieu," the chef-d'œuvre of Philibert Delorme, built by
order of Catherine de' Medici to outrival the Château d'Anet, erected by the
same great artist for the irregular queen, the lovely Diane. Not far from the
Place Royale, and in the centre of a nest of hotels belonging to great and
noble personages, S. Eustache became the praying-place of the living and
the burial-place of the defunct notabilities. The great ministers of Henri III.,
Louis XIII., and Louis XIV. lived in the parish: the Duc d'Epernon, in the
Rue Platrière (now Jean-Jacques-Rousseau, by reason of the sage having
occupied the 4th étage of No. 49, in the year 1770); Cardinal Richelieu, in
the Rue St.-Honoré, au Palais-Cardinal, otherwise the modern tourist's

hunting-ground, the Palais-Royal; and Mazarin, the Rue Neuve-des-Petits-
Champs. The curés were naturally much in vogue as confessors and
directors to these high personages and their swarms of followers and
appendages—men and women. One of the rectors, preaching in 1537,
before the King (François I.), the Cardinal de Lorraine, brother of the Duc
de Guise, the Cardinal de Tournon, and ladies and gentlemen of the court,
seems to have been shaky in his theology, according to some of his hearers,
but estonnant de vérité, quoth others. Even the royal mind itself was
unquiet for several days, but upon persuasion by the Cardinals it became
reassured.
It was a time of troubles, civil and religious. The church work was
stopped, and horrors were around, for in 1558 a poor student, denounced as
a Lutheran by an old zealot of the weaker sex, was dragged out of the
church and massacred upon the steps. But to return to Messire Jean Lecoq,
the aforesaid curé. In the choir is his tomb, where he was buried with
several of his relatives. His epitaph, bearing his arms d'azur au coq d'or, is
as follows:
Nobilis venerabilis D. Magister Joannes Lecoq.
Hujus ecclesiæ pastor—1568.

ANT. LECOQ, SEIG. D'ESGRENAY ET DE CORBEUIL (frère du curé), 1566.
F. PAJOT, SEIGNEUR DE BURY, mari D'ESTIENNETTE LECOQ, 1563
F. PAJOT, SEIG. D'AUTEUIL, LEUR FILS, 1583.
A story is told of this reverend curé by Bonaventure Déperriers, in his
Joyeux Devis, which, if not authentic, is characteristic of the times. A
certain popular actor and head of a wandering dramatic company, one Jean
de l'Espine, called Pont-Allais, was one day beating his drum near the
church, to announce the commencement of his entertainment. Within the
church the curé was preaching, but alas, his voice could not be heard above
the rattle outside. Exit the preacher from his pulpit. He hurries out, and
addresses the comedian upon the stage of his booth: "How can you dare to
strum while I am preaching?" "And how can you dare to preach while I am
drumming?" retorted the actor. The curé, enraged at this impudent reply,
broke the drum; but Jean Pont-Allais, with the swiftness of a man of action,
seized the priest, and popping the drum upon his head, pushed him into the
church. Whether the discourse was continued, with or without the coiffure,
history does not relate. Jean Lecoq died in 1568.

René Benoist, born at Angers, and a member of the school of theologians
calling itself the Société Royale de Navarre, was, when quite young, the
confessor of Marie Stuart, whom he followed to Scotland. Upon the death
of the queen he became curé of St. Pierre-des-Arcis, and afterwards of S.
Eustache. At the commencement of his career he was a Ligueur, and by
reason of his great influence was nicknamed le roi des Halles. In 1588 he
pronounced a funeral oration upon the assassinated Guises at Blois:
Escouté, peuple, dit-il, par Isaïe: Auferam a vobis fortem et virum bellatorem, judicem et
prophetam. Quand Dieu veut punir un peuple, il oste les personnes généreux et le conseil, car comme
disait Cicéron en son premier des Offices: Non valent arma foris nisi sit consilium domi. Nous avions
tous les deux en ce bon prince le duc de Guise: il était fort comme un Samson, prudent et advisé
comme un Salomon.... Les anciens disaient un exercite estre plus fort quand le chef est lion que
quand les soldats sont lions et le chef cerf.... Cette balafre qu'il portait, c'était en conservant la
religion et l'état en France qu'il l'avait endurée. Cela devait faire peur aux méchants, non est vulnus
aversum sed adversum. Faut des hommes vaillants, balafrés, qui ne fuient pas et ainsi que Notre
Seigneur a porté ses cicatrices au ciel pour montrer ce qu'il avait enduré ainsi il a porté sa balafre
pour le témoignage de sa vertu. II ne faut pas perdre courage, la maison en est seulement escornée.
(Then he concluded thus:) Prions Dieu pour les échevins d'icelle, qu'ils aient la crainte de Dieu et une
bonne prudence. Ce mot d'échevins veut dire chefs de la ville, sicut capita Urbis. Je les compare aux
quatre parties qui conservent la santé de l'homme et aux quatre éléments qui sont les choses les plus
nécessaires au monde. Paris a pour ses armes un navire qu'est Mare populi, ceux là sont les pilotes;
ils quéront à Dieu qu'il leur donne son saint Spérit, mais surtout à eux et à nous l'union, faut que
Civitas soit Civium unitas.

However, going over to the enemy, like many a better man, Benoist
became the butt of l'Estoile:
De trois B B B garder se doit on,
De Bourges, Benoist et Bourbon.
Bourges croit Dieu piteusement,
Benoist le prêche finement,
Mais Dieu nous gard' de la finesse
Et de Bourbon et de sa messe.

Another preacher of the time, Master Rose, gave Benoist the nickname
of le Diable des Halles; but nevertheless he remained faithful to the king's
party, and controverted those who refused to receive the royal heretic, even
if he were to be converted. These views of the curé, coming to the ears of
the Duc de Mayenne, caused Benoist to be sent for when the time came for
Henri to abjure Protestantism, and he was present at S. Denis on the
memorable 25th of July, 1592, when the king heard the mass which he
bargained for the city of Paris.

This, of course, angered the Ligueurs yet more, and one said publicly
that Benoist deserved to be hanged; and a poor woman of the parish (one of
the forerunners of the celebrated "Dames de la Halle" who more than once
defended their curés at all costs) was mauled and mangled by a Spanish
soldier for having stood up for her parish priest and pronounced him a
worthy man. Later on, being named bishop of Troyes by the king (whose
confessor he became), the Ligue refused him obedience. Benoist was not
only a fervent politician; he was also a writer of no mean merit, a learned
preacher, an erudite theologian, and, above all, a friend beloved of his
parishioners. He left his mark upon the church, embellishing the great door
with a representation of his patron S. René, and composing an anthem,
which was performed upon his fête day. Some authorities, Launoy to wit,
give the number of his works as 154, Niceron 159. He was forty years at S.
Eustache, and ten years dean of the Faculty of Theology. He died on the 7th
March, 1608, at the ripe old age of eighty-seven, and just two years before
the assassination of Henri, which took place at the very doors, one may say,
of S. Eustache, in the Rue de la Ferronnerie.
After the death of René, Benoist's successor, we find the "Dames de la
Halle" coming to the fore and asserting their importance. It appears that the
appointment by the archbishop of a new curate (I use this term in its proper
sense: the occupier of a cure) to succeed M. Tonnellier, led to a three day's
revolt. The nephew of the latter, having been promised the cure by his
uncle, opposed the new appointment, and, assisted by the market women,
repulsed the soldiers—sent them flying, says tradition. However that may
be, there was a vast commotion, which lasted three days, and was only
ended by a species of armistice. "Les Dames de la Halle" consented to send
a deputation to the queen (although it is not very apparent what her majesty
could do in the matter), and after giving an account of the cause of the
trouble, the envoy went on as follows:—
Notre curé qui est mort était si bon, si humain que nous l'avons tous pleuré. En mourant il a
désigné son neveu pour son successeur et l'on a voulu nous en donner un autre. Ce n'est pas juste,
n'est-ce pas, madame la Reine? Les Marlin, voyez-vous, depuis bien longtemps, sont curés de Saint-
Eustache, de père en fils, et les paroissiens n'en souffriront pas d'autre.

The curious argument advanced by the deputy in favour of Marlin no
doubt amused the queen, and she promised to do what she could. But "Les
Dames" would have no evasive answers; they wanted their curate and
intended to have him; and so, on their return, chains were put across the

streets, barricades were commenced, and the revolt waxed stronger. At this
juncture, the archbishop gave way, and the nephew was installed amidst
enthusiastic cries of Vive l'archevêque! Vive la reine! While upon the church
some wag placarded a notice: Avis. Le curé de Saint-Eustache est à la
nomination des Dames de la Halle.
This little tale seems to have been the origin of the romantic story
trumped up in 1783, in which Marie Antoinette is said to have given a
flower-girl her bracelet in recognition of some interview between them;
which story was added to and amended later on, to the effect that the queen,
upon her way to the guillotine, recognising the girl by her bracelet, betrayed
her, and thus inadvertently caused her arrest and execution.
This Marlin was curate when Louis XIV. made his first communion at S.
Eustache, that being his parish church at the time he was living in the
Palais-Royal with his mother. Louis' last wife was also a parishioner of S.
Eustache before her marriage with Scarron. As Frances d'Aubigné she
seems to have been as much of a dévote as in her later days, for she arose at
midnight, and attended matins at two of the clock. At that time she was in
receipt of alms from a charitable lady of the parish, and her extraordinary
career had scarcely commenced.
Funeral orations abounded at S. Eustache. In 1666 Anne of Austria was
eulogised by a celebrated preacher, père Sénault, in no mild terms:—
Souffrez que je vous dise que si elle a vaincu la douleur et la mort, si elle a procuré la paix à
l'Europe, si elle a heureusement gouverné l'Etat pendant sa régence, si elle a obtenu des enfants du
Ciel, ce n'a été que parce qu'elle se confiait en Dieu et qu'elle l'a obligé de faire cent miracles en sa
faveur parce qu'elle espérait en sa bonté, spera in eo et ipse faciet.

Ten years later a greater preacher, the eloquent Fléchier, was called upon
to sing the praises of Turenne, all the world following in the train of the
king to hear him:
Quelle matière fut jamais plus disposée à recevoir tous les ornements d'une grave et solide
éloquence, que la vie et la mort de très-haut et très-puissant Prince Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne,
vicomte de Turenne, maréchal général des camps et armées du roi et colonel général de la cavalerie
légère? Où brillent avec plus d'éclat les effets glorieux de la vertu militaire: conduite d'armées, sièges
de places, prises de villes, passages de rivières, attaques hardies, retraites honorables, campements
bien ordonnés, combats soutenus, batailles gagnées, ennemis vaincus par la force, dissipés par
l'adresse, lassés et consumés par une sage patience; où peut-on trouver tant et de si puissants
exemples que dans les actions d'un homme sage, modeste, libéral, désintéressé, dévoué au service du
prince et de la patrie, grand dans l'adversité par son courage, dans la prospérité par sa modestie, dans
les difficultés par sa prudence, dans les périls par sa valeur, dans la religion par sa piété.

Yet another celebrated orator, Massillon, was often heard at S. Eustache,
and in 1704, preaching upon the small number of the elect, so terrified were
his hearers that they all rose as one man, when he pronounced the words of
the Supreme Judge. A lesser man, who rose to be a Cardinal, perhaps more
by intrigues than anything else, was Guillaume Dubois. He was born at
Brives-la-Gaillarde in 1657, and coming to Paris, he entered, while still
quite young, the service of the curé of S. Eustache. Thence he obtained
engagements as tutor to the great personages of the neighbourhood;
entering the house of the Duc de Chartres, he managed to obtain the abbey
of Saint-Just, in the diocese of Beauvais. A grand monument by Coustou
was erected to his memory in the church of S. Honoré, with an epitaph
composed by Couture, which seems to be a slight satire upon the worldly-
minded who love the rich things of this nether world. After giving the titles
of the defunct, the lines go on: "Quid autem hi titulis nisi arcus coloratus et
fumus ad modicum parens Viator, stabiliora, solidioraque bona mortuo
apprecare, etc., etc. Mais que sont ces dignités? nuages brillants, fumée qui
s'évapore. Passant, demande à Dieu pour ce mort des biens plus stables et
plus solides."
S. Eustache is still famous for its processions, and few churches are so
fitted for grand ceremonial; but what are the functions of to-day compared
with those of the 18th century? Here is an extract from the archives giving
an outline of the procession upon the Fête Dieu, 20th June, 1716, during the
minority of Louis XV.:—
Several lacqueys bearing torches.
Footmen of M. le duc de Charot with lights at the top of their weapons.
Sixteen footmen of M. le Comte de Toulouse.
Six pages of my lord count.
The preceptor of the pages of M. the duc d'Orléans, the Regent, in long cassock and surplice;
their tutor bearing a taper; twelve pages of His Royal Highness, and two sub-tutors.
The banner of the confraternity of the Holy Sacrament.
The cross of the clergy of S. Eustache.
An officer bearing a cushion for His Royal Highness.
The Suisses armed, carrying halbards upon their shoulders and torches in their hands, the officers
at their head accompanied by drums and fifes.
The dais of the Holy Sacrament, borne by high personages.
The curé under the dais.
Monseigneur le duc d'Orléans carrying a taper, preceded by several officers of his house, and two
chaplains in surplices.
An officer bearing a bouquet of His Royal Highness.

Forty of the body-guard, the councillor of Parliament, and the churchwardens.
A coach belonging to His Royal Highness, followed by eight guards on horseback.
The archers of the town bringing up the rear.
The watchmen of Paris arranged in a line from the church door to the Hôtel de Soissons, on both
sides of the Rue Coquillière, with flags and officers at their head; drums to be beaten when His Royal
Highness arrives at the church in his coach, and on his return.

In 1736 the reposoir[70] in the Palais-Royal was constructed from the
design of Servandoni, the architect of S. Sulpice; and its importance
attracted multitudes of curiosity-hunters from all parts of the town.
In 1729 Jean-François-Robert Secousse succeeded his uncle, and was the
author of a pamphlet which he gave away to his parishioners entitled: Lettre
d'un Curé à N—— au sujet des Spectacles. His successor, Jean-Jacques
Poupart, was for some time confessor to Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette.
When the storm arose, he took the oath to the Constitution; but, finding the
lengths to which it carried him, he retracted, went into hiding, and
administered to his flock in secret. During the early years of the Revolution,
no church suffered more than S. Eustache. Situated in the midst of a
populous district, it became the scene of untold horrors. But it was also the
resting place for Mirabeau's body on its way to the Panthéon, on the 4th
April, 1791; and had nothing worse than the funeral oration by Cerutti,
pronounced from the banc-d'œuvre,[71] taken place, the sacrilege would
have been but small. Trouble was looked for in the following May, when
the hairdressers' assistants caused a service to be said for the great orator;
but instead of the church being invaded by 10,000 persons, as was expected,
a poor 600 were all that put in an appearance, and these were well
conducted. Not so the Women's Club which was held in the building, if
Lamartine's Histoire des Girondins[72] is to be trusted:
La société révolutionnaire siégeait á Saint-Eustache; elle était composée de femmes perdues,
aventurières de leur sexe, recrutées dans le vice, où dans les réduits de la misère, ou dans les
cabanons de la démence. Le scandale de leurs séances, le tumulte de leurs motions, la bizarrerie de
leur éloquence, l'audace de leurs pétitions importuna le Comité de Salut Public, qui ferma le club. On
peut juger par là ce qu'il devait en être de la pauvre église. Près de là siégeait aussi le fameux club de
la rue Mauconseil.

Another club for women, founded by an actress named Lacombe, was
dissolved after a speech of Robespierre's, in which we find that "Cette
réunion de vraies sans-culottes ne saurait durer plus long-temps, parce
qu'elle prête au ridicule et aux propos malins."

In 1793 the Feast of Reason was celebrated with as much profanity and
indecency here as at Notre-Dame, as witness Mercier's account, told in the
forcible language of Carlyle:
The corresponding festival in the church of S. Eustache offered the spectacle of a great tavern.
The interior of the choir represented a landscape decorated with cottages and boskets of trees. Round
the choir stood tables overloaded with bottles, with sausages, pork-puddings, pasties, and other
meats. The guests flowed in and out through all doors; whosoever presented himself took part of the
good things; children of eight, girls as well as boys, put hand to plate, in sign of Liberty; they drank
also of the bottles, and their prompt intoxication created laughter. Reason sat in azure mantle aloft, in
a serene manner; cannoneers, pipe in mouth, serving her as acolytes. And out of doors (continues the
exaggerative man) were mad multitudes dancing round the bonfire of chapel-balustrades, of priests'
and canons' stalls; and the dancers—I exaggerate nothing—the dancers nigh bare of breeches, neck
and breast naked, stockings down, went whirling and spinning, like those Dust-vortexes, forerunners
of Tempest and Destruction.[73]

S. Eustache was re-opened for divine service sooner than many of the
other churches, M. Poupart coming out of his hiding in June, 1795; but he
had to share his church for some time with the philanthropists and the
municipal councillors, who held their meetings there upon certain days.
And the church was, moreover, but four walls and a roof; nearly all the
contents had vanished. The altars, the bronze statues, the pulpit, the
pictures, the tombs, the slabs and epitaphs, all but the banc-d'œuvre, had
gone to the museum of the Petits-Augustins; happily, for otherwise they
would have gone into the fire.
In 1804, Pius VII., dragged to Paris by Napoleon to perform the
coronation ceremony, was invited to visit S. Eustache and bless a statue of
the Blessed Virgin; which he did with "une bonté paternelle." The occasion
naturally called forth all the ceremonial of which the church was capable:
Suisses (beadles), vergers, MM. les maires, and MM. les marguilliers,
magistrates, juges de paix, clergy, M. le curé Bossic, and his eminence the
cardinal archbishop. His Holiness was received at the church door by the
archbishop, M. de Belloy, and divers other bishops and dignitaries of
church and state; who had to submit to hearing a Latin oration by the curé.
The music was brilliantly executed by a large choir, and the ceremonial of
an imposing character; peculiarly touching was the moment when the
archbishop, an old man of ninety-six, who had to be supported by two
prelates, mounted the steps of the altar, and presented the linen cloth to his
Holiness for wiping his hands. After mass a reception took place in one of
the chapels, and a number of the faithful had the honour of "kissing the

papal slipper," says the account of the ceremony signed by a number of the
dignitaries present.
Among the celebrities buried in the church or the burial-ground hard by
are the following: Bernard de Girard, Seigneur du Haillan, historian, who
died in 1610; Marie Jars de Gournay, the adopted daughter of Montaigne,
and the editress of his essays; Vincent Voiture, poet and wit, who died in
1650; the Academician François de la Motte-le-Vayer; the poet Isaac
Benserade; another Academician Furetière; the graceful music-maker,
Rameau; the painter, Lafosse; a superintendent of finance, Claude de
Bullion (a curiously appropriate name); Phélippeau, duke of la Vrillière; the
chancellor d'Amenonville; a peer and marshal, François d'Aubusson de la
Feuillade, who worshipped his king, the fourteenth Louis, and elevated a
wondrous monument to his glory, the prancing steed and man in the Place
des Victoires; and a medicine man of the same king a member, too, of the
Academy, Martin Cureau de la Chambre, aged seventy-five when he died in
1669. The physician is said to have been the consulter-general of the king,
and they carried on a secret correspondence, in which the former thought
that the sovereign would "court grand risque de faire à l'avenir de mauvais
choix de ministres," if he survived Cureau. The last curate buried in the
church was Poupart, in 1796.
What is now the market of S. Joseph was formerly the burial-ground
dedicated to that Saint. It belonged to the parish of S. Eustache, and in 1630
Chancellor Séguier built a chapel therein at his own expense. Here Molière
and La Fontaine were buried, but the monuments were carried off to the
museum of the Petits-Augustins, where they remained until 1818, when
they were re-erected at Père-la-Chaise. Molière was also born in the parish,
at a house, since pulled down, which occupied the site of the corner of the
rue St. Honoré and the rue du Pont Neuf, formerly de la Tonnellerie.
The following epitaphs used to be in the church, and are interesting; the
two first for their quaintness; the last as a record of an architect of S.
Eustache, if not the original builder:
BARTHÉLÉMI TREMBLET, SCULPTEUR DU ROY, DÉCÉDÉ A L'AGE
DE 61 ANS, EN 1629.

Louvre me donna l'être et Paris la fortune.
J'eus l'honneur d'être au roy, St. Eustache a mes os;
Passant, au nom de Dieu, si je ne t'importune,
Durant ce mien sommeil, pries pour mon repos.

————

Le monde n'a ésté à Françoise
Gallois que passage à l'éternité;
Elle y a demeuré comme toujours
Preste d'en sortir, Les XXIII années
De son âge, n'ont estées qu'innocence,
Les quarte de son mariage, que paix
Et concorde, les vertus furent ses
Exercices, la piété son contentement,
La crainte de Dieu la conduite de
Sa vie qu'elle finit le XXVIIe Aoust
MDCXVI. Si chrestiennement,
Que Richard Petit, son mary,
Conser secrét, du roy, M. et C. de
Fr. ne console l'affliction de son
Absence que par la souvenance
De sa mort.

————

Cy-devant git le corps
D'honorable homme Charles David, vivant sujet du Roy
Es-œuvres de maçonnerie, doyen des jurés et bourgeois
De Paris, architecte et conducteur du bâtiment de l'Eglise
De céans, lequel après avoir vescu avec Anne Lemercier
Sa femme l'espace de 53 ans, il décéda le quatrième jour
De décembre 1650 âgé de 98 ans.
S. Eustache has suffered much of late years by fire and the doings of
wicked men. In 1844 fire attacked the organ, and smoke and water
destroyed a great portion of the church. L'abbé Duguerry, who was shot in
1871 by the Communists, was curé at the time of the conflagration; and in
order to rebuild the organ, he instituted a lottery, and appealed for aid to the
whole country. Ten years later the new organ was built, and inaugurated
under a new curé, Gaudereau, Duguerry having been appointed to the
Madeleine. It was an exquisite instrument, of delicious tone and with a large
number of stops. But alas! during the Commune it suffered again, several
bombs having exploded in the church. Glass was smashed, organ pipes
pierced, and a great deal of damage done to the roof; and it was several
years before the church was restored to its pristine beauty. In 1879 the organ
was finished, having been reconstructed and very much enlarged by J.
Merklin, under a committee of organists and musicians; other instruments
may be larger, but few are so beautiful in tone. Several of the Paris organs
are fine, and the French school of organists is of all the least conventional.

One is not bored by Rinck and his fellows; one does not hear choruses by
Handel intended to be sung, or solos by the same master upon flute and
clarionet stops with a poor tum-tum accompaniment, or sonatas written for
the pianoforte or violin. That, to some of us, peculiarly irritating form of
composition, the fugue, is rarely heard (except at the Madeleine), and
Batiste, I think, must have held them in holy horror as did Berlioz, and, was
it Chopin? Many a time for years I heard Batiste "touch" the S. Eustache
organ, and surely no more divine sounds (if organ notes can be divine?)
have ever been drawn from an instrument than when he played some soft,
tender, pathetic melody upon the voix céleste or vox humana with
accompaniment upon the far-off stops and tremolo; it was, in effect, what
one might conceive a chorus of Angels accompanying some beautiful
human voice. I know all the principal Paris organs, and most of them have
been played upon by distinguished musicians; I also heard Lefebure-Wély
frequently in former days; but no one seemed to equal or to excel Batiste in
taste. His soft passages were perfection; and when he made the instrument
thunder forth in all its fortissimo, it was grand in the extreme. Such an
admiration had I for the musician, that I looked upon him as an invisible
master, and my enthusiasm led me one day to waylay him as he came down
the stairs. Query, if one admires an artist or an author, a poet or a musician,
is it wise to see him in the flesh? Some painters and pianists, some violinists
or singers, have been appropriately built, so to speak. Nature, sometimes
unassisted, more often aided and pruned, has turned out bodies which are
fitted to become the cases of distinguished minds. But everyone knows
instances of actors and actresses who are nought minus their war-paint; of
painters who might be grocers, and of poets as un-ideal in appearance as
any publican or butterman. On the other hand, there are exquisites behind
the counters, ethereal-looking butchers, and poetic vendors of cooked ham
and beef. It is as if nature had made a number of bodies and minds, and
shuffling them like a pack of cards, had tossed them together without any
thought or heeding. Such seemed to have been the case with Batiste, for he
was the exact model of the French Mossoo so dear to Punch—the Mossoo
one so rarely sees out of that sportive periodical. Nevertheless, the soul
within that commonplace body was able to peal forth in most sublime
sounds which touched the hearts of all who heard them. Batiste's was
essentially emotional playing of the highest order. Never shall I forget the
thrill which went through the crowd when he played Chopin's "Funeral

March" at the funeral of the dear old curé, l'abbé Simon—the very type of
the courteous, fine-gentleman priests of other days, without their vices.
When, years ago, the abbé Simon and Duguerry his friend, sat side by side,
their finely chiselled features and longish hair, their elegant manner, and
courteous bearing, reminded one of the portraits of Fléchier, Massillon and
Bossuet.
It may interest musicians to know the composition of the S. Eustache
organ, and as many of the stops are French, I may as well give them in their
original names. It has four manuals, and 72 stops; 4356 pipes and 20 pedals.

Grand Orgue 54 notes, 16 stops.
Positif 54 " 14 "
Récit expressif 54 " 16 "
Clavier Bombarde 54 " 11 "
Pédales 30 " 15 "
TOTAL 72

1ST MANUAL.—GREAT ORGAN.
ft. ft.
1 Montre 16 10 Nasard 2
2 Montre 8 11 Doublette 2
3 Flûte à pavilion 8 COMBINATION STOPS.
4 Bourdon 8 12 Furniture et Cymbale 3
5 Flûte harmonique 8 13 Cornet 8
6 Viole de Gambe 8 14 Trompette 8
7 Gemshorn 8 15 Clarinette 8
8 Rohrflûte 4 16 Clairon 4
9 Prestant 4
2ND MANUAL.—CHOIR ORGAN.
ft. ft.
1 Montre 8 9 Clochette 1
2 Bourdon 8 COMBINATION STOPS.
3 Keraulophone 8 10 Plein jeu 2
4 Flûte harmonique 8 11 Clarinette 16
5 Bourdon 16 12 Cromhorn 8
6 Flûte harmonique 4 13 Trompette 8
7 Fugara 4 14 Clairon 4
8 Doublette 2
3RD MANUAL.—SWELL ORGAN.
SOLO STOPS.
ft. ft.

1 Viole de Gambe 8 9 Trompette harmonique. 8
2 Voix céleste 8 10 Clairon 4
3 Bourdon 8 JEUX DE FOND.
4 Piccolo 1 11 Bourdon 16
5 Basson-Hautbois 8 12 Principal 8
6 Voix humaine 8 13 Flûte harmonique 8
COMBINATION STOPS. 14 Flûte octaviante 4
7 Cornet 8 15 Prestant 4
8 Trombone 16 16 Flageolet 2
4TH MANUAL.—SOLO ORGAN.
ft. COMBINATION STOPS.
1 Bourdon 16 ft.
2 Gambe 16 7 Cornet 16
3 Gambe 8 8 Bombarde 16
4 Salicional 8 9 Trompette 8
5º Quintaton 8 10 Cor anglais 8
6º Dulciana 4 11 Clairon 4
PEDALS.
ft. ft.
1 Principal 32 9 Flûte 4
2 Flûte 16 COMBINATION STOPS.
3 Sous-Basse 16 10 Bombarde 32
4 Contrebasse 16 11 Bombarde 16
5 Grosse Flûte 8 12 Basson 16
6 Quinte 12 13 Basson 8
7º Violoncelle 8 14 Trompette 8
8º Bourdon 8 15 Clairon 4

COMBINATION STOPS FOR THE SWELL.
SOLO ANCHES FONDS
TREMOLO TREMOLO TREMOLO

COMBINATION PEDALS.
1 Tonnerre.
2 Tirasse du 1er clavier sur le pédalier.
3 Tirasse du 2me clavier sur le pédalier.
4 Tirasse du 3me clavier sur le pédalier.
5 Tirasse du 4me clavier sur le pédalier.
6 Réunion du mécanisme des jeux du 1er clavier sur le levier pneumatique.
7 Accouplement du 2me clavier sur le 1er.
8 Accouplement du 3me clavier sur le 1er, à l'unisson.
9 Accouplement du 4me clavier sur le 1er.
10 Accouplement du 4me clavier sur le 3me.

11 Accouplement du 3me clavier à l'octave grave sur le 1er clavier.
12 Forte général.
13 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du pédalier.
14 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du 1er clavier.
15 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du 2me clavier.
16 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du 4me clavier.
17 Expression sur le 3me clavier récit.

No one should omit visiting S. Eustache on S. Cecilia's day (November
22), when a grand mass is always performed, with full orchestra, in aid of
the Society of Musicians; and indeed, any Sunday the music is quite well
worth hearing, and the ceremonial is the finest in Paris. At the same time
much has been lost by the substitution of the Roman for the Parisian rite,
which took place in 1876. In the former, two acolytes swing the censers; in
the latter, four or six acolytes standing in a row threw them up on high six
times, the last time catching them while kneeling on one knee. As has been
said, the grand effect of this use can never be forgotten by those who saw it.
The church owes the new marble pavement to its good curé l'abbé
Simon, one of the heroes of the Commune, and, almost, one of its victims.
So much has been related (and with justice) against the Communards, that
an incident connected with S. Eustache ought not to be forgotten. The day
the abbé Simon was arrested he had three thousand francs in his pocket,
which were destined to pay for the pavement of the choir. Of course upon
his arrival at the prison they were given up to the police, and were not
restored when the curé was released through the intervention of his chères
paroissiennes, les Dames de la Halle, who went en masse to demand his
freedom. On Easter Monday, however, Raoul Rigault's secretary went to the
sacristry, asked M. Simon if the money had been returned, and finding that
it had not, he left the church, to return in an hour's time, with the three
thousand francs intact.
In the south transept is a little Gothic statue of S. John, and on the wall is
a sad memorial of the names of all the hostages who suffered death under
the Commune, headed by the archbishop (Darboy) and the curé of the
Madeleine, Duguerry, who was formerly curé of S. Eustache.
S. Eustache, like most large churches, looks grandest in the evening,
when the altar is ablaze with lights, and long vistas fade away into the
darkness; but under all conditions it is a splendid church, a mass of

harmonious colouring from floor to ceiling. At the evening services during
Lent, it is seen to advantage; or again on Christmas Day at vespers, when it
is resplendent with lights; those curious and unchurchlike glass chandeliers
filled with candles, and clusters of gas jets round the walls.
Another great day is Good Friday, when Rossini's "Stabat Mater" is
performed. It is always beautifully rendered, but for three-fourths of the
crowd which assembles—and the church is always crammed—for most of
the people it is a mere performance. So is the midnight mass on Christmas
Day. Religious enthusiasm carries one away upon one or two occasions; the
sentiment is exquisite; the emotions which are aroused are of the purest, and
we feel almost that we are by the veritable manger listening to the heavenly
Host: "Glory to God in the Highest." But alas! human beings are but mortal;
and so upon experience we find that the crowds who attend the mass do so
mainly as a pastime before the réveillon; that is the function of the night;
eating and drinking, junkettings and merrymakings; and just a little church-
going to fill up the time until the hour of feasting commences. Cardinal
Manning in his wisdom saw this many years ago, and stopped the practice
of saying midnight mass, a measure he probably regretted as much as any
of us; for apart from its being a very ancient custom, it is a most poetic idea,
appealing strongly to our best emotions and our most vivid imagination.

SAINT-FRANÇOIS XAVIER.
Until quite lately, the only church in Paris dedicated to the memory of
the great Jesuit was the little chapel belonging to the Missions Étrangères in
the Rue de Bac. The first stone was laid in 1683 by the archbishop of Paris,
in the name of the king. It is a double chapel with a flight of steps leading
from the lower to the upper church.

SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE (LE PANTHÉON).
As we walk up the Rue Soufflot and see the great domed Panthéon
facing us in its Classic glory, it is difficult to realise that the space occupied
by the modern building is but a small portion of what was formerly the
domain of the important abbey of S. Geneviève belonging to the
Augustinian canons. When the religious orders were suppressed in France,
Paris contained nine abbeys: S. Geneviève, S. Victor, belonging to the
Augustins; S. Germain des Prés to the Benedictines; Val des Grâce to the
nuns of S. Benedict; Port-Royal, Pantemont, l'Abbaye aux Bois, and S.
Antoine to the Cistercian nuns; and the Cordelières to the order of the Poor
Clares. An inspection of a pre-Revolution map of the city shows us that a
large part of it was swallowed up by these abbeys and other monastic lands
and properties.

SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE FROM THE RUE SOUFFLOT.

The foundation of the abbey of S. Geneviève was due to the desire of
Clovis to celebrate his victory over the Visigoths in the plains of Vouillè.
Having overrun a great part of Gaul, and annexed it to the kingdom of the
Franks, what was more natural than that he should offer his thanks for
robbery, violence, and slaughter, by the building of a church upon the hill

overshadowing his Palais des Thermes? He dedicated it to S. Peter and S.
Paul, and put it under the charge of some monks who were succeeded later
on by secular canons, and eventually in the 12th century, by regular canons
of S. Augustin. Clovis died ere the church was terminated, but Queen
Clotilde was able to carry the work on, and it became the resting place of
both sovereigns, as well as of the children of Clodomir, who were done to
death by their loving relatives after the manner of some modern Africans. In
the 11th century, the church was put under the patronage of S. Geneviève in
consequence of the numberless miracles performed at her tomb, for the
maid of Nanterre had been laid to rest in this church. The legend of S.
Geneviève is picturesque in the extreme, affording endless subjects for the
artist, as witness the wall paintings in the modern church. Born in 421 at
Nanterre, a little village situated upon the plain over which the fort of Mt.
Valérien now frowns, she was employed, as are many of her compatriots of
the present day, in tending sheep. A graceful, if somewhat affected picture
by Guérin, represents her with a distaff in her hands. When about seven
years old, S. Germain, bishop of Auxerre, passed through Nanterre on his
way to Britain. A crowd assembled to receive the good bishop's blessing,
and among them were S. Geneviève and her parents. La pucelette was
already famed for her piety and humility, and S Germain, wise man, had no
sooner cast his eyes upon her than he became aware of her future glory; and
finding that she desired to be a handmaiden of Christ, he hung round her
neck a small coin marked with the symbol of the cross, thus consecrating
her to God's service. Many were the miracles which she wrought by prayer,
even in her childhood; as for instance, when her mother, being struck blind
for boxing her little Saintship's ears, recovered her sight through the prayers
of the daughter. Some say that Geneviève prayed for her hasty parent after a
year and nine months had elapsed; but surely it is better to believe that the
prayers were unanswered for that length of time, than that the daughter,
whose intercession was so efficacious, should have omitted to help her
mother for so many months.
At fifteen, Geneviève renewed her vows, but remained with her parents
until their death. She then took up her abode with an old kinswoman in
Paris, where, from her piety and devotion, she became the subject of
disputes between those who venerated her as a saint, and others who
considered her sanctity and benevolence mere hypocrisy and sham piety.
And so it came about that at night, when she kept her vigils, the arch

enemy, not content with putting into the hearts of men the desire to slander
and vilify the godly maiden, set himself to worry her, by extinguishing her
candle. But she had a tinder-box in her faith and prayer, and so she was
never left in darkness. This is a favourite subject of the old artists; one
frequently sees the Saint holding her taper, while a demon is blowing it out,
sometimes using a pair of bellows, as at the doorway of S. Germain
l'Auxerrois, S. Nicholas, and other French churches; and it is obvious that
the legend grew out of the promise that God never leaves those in darkness
who pray for light. So, too, the holding up of the re-kindled taper in the face
of the fiend, and his consequent flight, symbolises the Light of the World
chasing away evil. Another legend relates that when a storm overtook her
and some friends on their way to S. Denis, and blew out their tapers, an
Angel descended to relight them in answer to Geneviève's prayers.
The Saint was a sort of early Jeanne d'Arc, inasmuch as she delivered the
city from its enemies; but Geneviève depended only upon her prayers; and
yet, simply by these means, she caused the Huns, who were besieging Paris
under Attila, to flee. On another occasion, when the city was invested by
Childéric, she took command of some boats which were sent up the river to
Troyes for succour, and brought them back laden with provisions. When the
city was taken, Geneviève was treated with great respect by Childéric, and
it was through her influence that Clovis and his wife, Clotilde, were
converted to Christianity, and the first Christian church was erected in Paris.
[74] Geneviève died at the ripe old age of eighty-nine, and was buried in
what was then called the church of SS. Peter and Paul; and it was in
consequence of her miracle-working tomb that the patronage of the church
was given over to her, the Apostles falling into complete oblivion. Among
these miracles was a cessation of a terrible visitation of the plague called
the mal ardent, which raged in Paris in the reign of Louis le Gros; hence the
dedication of a church to S. Geneviève-des-Ardents, situated near the
cathedral, and long since destroyed.
Most painters of modern times have depicted the Saint as a shepherdess,
somewhat after the Chelsea china pattern, and a few have given her the
suggestiveness of the nymphs of Boucher. Watteau's is a charming picture,
but the graceful maiden scarcely comes up to our ideal of the pious little
peasant girl of Nanterre. Guérin's is pure and refined, if somewhat affected,
but one feels inclined to hail our old friend with the fiend behind her
puffing or blowing the bellows as a more worthy reading of the character of

S. Geneviève. In the church of S. Merri there is a very curious picture
representing the maid surrounded by her sheep, and enclosed by a circle of
huge stones after the manner of those at Stonehenge.
The legend of feeding the besieged Parisians is said to be the origin of
the pain bénit of the Paris churches, a custom peculiar to the old Parisian
rite, and almost the only one kept up since that use was superseded by the
Roman, some few years since. This blessed bread is a large brioche offered
by some of the parishioners, and brought into church in procession during
the offertory. It is usually piled up on a stage and decorated with flowers
and lights, the whole being carried on the shoulders of acolytes. Preceded
by the beadle and donor, it is taken to the altar and sprinkled with holy
water; some prayers are said, the donor is presented with a pax to kiss, and
the procession then returns to the sacristy, where the bread is cut up and put
into baskets, which are then carried round the church, and the brioche
distributed among the congregation. One often sees strangers refuse this,
thinking it something peculiarly popish; indeed, I was once assured by a
friend that he had been offered the Sacrament, "which of course he had
refused." But we may be certain that if the pain bénit were considered so
exceedingly holy, promiscuous strangers would not get the chance of
partaking of it. It rather figures a sort of amicable meal after the manner of
the early Agapæ, and is a very pretty ceremony; besides, it is always
refreshing to witness any little peculiarity in ritual, instead of the dull
uniformity which recent papal decrees have enforced over western Europe.
In the 9th century S. Geneviève became the patron of the abbey; and
some of the capitals of the church of that period are now in the court of the
École de Beaux-Arts. In the 13th century the church was rebuilt, but
gradually falling into decay, it was condemned in the reign of Louis XV.,
and demolished in 1801-7 to make way for the Rue Clovis. When the crypt
was destroyed a large quantity of stone coffins, medals, pottery, shields and
lances of Gallo-Roman and Mérovingian workmanship were found.
The early capitals mentioned above are rude in treatment, and the
personages, Adam and Eve, and other Old Testament worthies, are coarse,
but the scraps of ornament are quaint, and the carving of the foliage is
vastly superior to that of the figures. The crypt of the church was the largest
of any in Paris, and being the burial place of so many holy and regal
persons, was interesting in the extreme; but to the men of the 18th century
what mattered it that 13th century work should be swept away? The street

was required as a short cut, a deviation of five minutes more or less had to
be rectified; and so all that remains of the abbey church is its tower. But
from the ruins many precious fragments were saved. The stone coffin of S.
Geneviève was carried off to S. Étienne hard by, and there enveloped in a
gorgeous shrine; which, besides being a work of art, had the advantage of
being portative, and so could be marched about when processioning was
resorted to as a remedy for city troubles. In the Statistique Monumentale de
Paris, published by Albert Lenoir, may be seen some plates representing
this motley crew of fragments. Portions of stone coffins, sculptured with
crosses and monograms, were sent to the museum of the Petits-Augustins,
but do not seem to have survived the dissolution of the collection; they were
similar to those at the Hôtels de Cluny and Carnavalet.
The reliquary of the Saint was in the form of a church, and was executed
by order of the abbot, Robert de la Ferté-Milon, in 1242. The craftsman was
one of the most cunning goldsmiths of the city, Bonnard. It contained 193
marks of silver and 7-1/2 marks of gold; and kings, queens, and commoners
vied with each other to cover it with precious stones. Marie de' Medici
crowned the front with a mass of diamonds; and Germain Pilon was
engaged to sculp a group of four women standing upon a marble pedestal to
support the châsse. This graceful work of art was all that was saved in
1793: being of wood it was of little value to a starving and poverty-stricken
mob. Or, had the municipality any reverence for it as an art treasure?
Certain it is that, whereas the reliquary was melted up into coin, and the
jewels sold, the part which was really the most precious was saved, and is
now in the Renaissance Museum of the Louvre. But in spite of the value
and beauty of the châsse, the Conventionel Grégoire, in his report, gives
21,000 livres only as the sum obtained by its destruction.
Some of the monuments of the church were saved; that of the Cardinal
François de la Rochefoucault, abbot of S. Geneviève, and High Almoner of
France, who died in 1645, sculptured by Philippe Buister, being placed in
the chapel of the Hospital for Incurable Women, of which he was the
founder. The statue of Clovis, renewed in the 12th century, is now at S.
Denis, owing to the accident of its having been replaced in the 17th century
by a superior one in white marble, which was destroyed in 1793.[75]
Another tomb, that of a chancellor of Notre-Dame de Noyon, who died in
1350, is now in the École des Beaux-Arts. The monument of René
Descartes was less fortunate, for, after having been transferred to the

museum of the Petits-Augustins, it was dismembered, and dispersed or
destroyed; but the remains of the great philosopher were re-buried at S.
Germain des Prés.
Some of the conventual buildings remain and form part of the Lycée
Henri IV. The tower is Romanesque at the base and pointed at the upper
stories—14th and 15th century respectively. The cloisters and refectory
form part of the school buildings, but they have been much modernized.
The latter is an elegant structure of the 13th century, and now serves as the
school chapel. In the sacristry is a large stone statue of the patroness (13th
century) which formerly formed part of the central pillar of the principal
doorway of the abbey church; it represents her with a demon on one
shoulder blowing out her candle, and an Angel on the other relighting it.
What was formerly the library is a series of galleries upon the plan of a
cross, with a cupola at the intersections. It is no longer used for this
purpose, all the books having been placed in the new building on the other
side of the square.
"Contiguous to the Sorbonne church there stands, raising its neatly-
constructed dome aloft in air, the Nouvelle Eglise Ste. Geneviève, better
known by the name of the Panthéon. The interior presents, to my eye, the
most beautiful and perfect specimen of Grecian architecture with which I
am acquainted. In the crypt are the tombs of the French warriors. From the
gallery running along the bottom of the dome, the whole a miniature
representation of our S. Paul's, you have a sort of panorama of Paris, but not
a favourable one. The absence of sea-coal fume strikes you very agreeably,
but I could not help thinking of the superior beauty of the panorama of
Rouen from the heights of St. Catherine."[76] This "perfect specimen of
Grecian architecture" owes its birth, it is said, to Madame de Pompadour;
and if this be so, it must have been one of the last of that lady's
contributions to art, as she died in April, 1764, the foundation stone being
laid in the following September. It is curious how artistic the French kings'
handmaidens were, and, with the exception of the daughters of the house of
Medici, how little we owe to the queens in the way of fine works of art.
Whether this particular handmaiden obliged the king to decide upon the
rebuilding of the old church, which had been tumbling into decay for a long
period, or whether it was the king's fright lest he should fall ill again if he
did not propitiate the Saint who had cured him of a sinking fever, it is
impossible to decide. Very likely it was the king's own fears. He had all but

died at Metz; he had appealed to the patroness of Paris; she had answered
his prayers, somewhat unwisely perhaps, in the interest of his hapless
subjects; and in sheer gratitude, thus proving himself far more honest than
many a holier and more godly man, he decided that the much-talked-of
church should be set going, and that it should be worthy of the maid of
Nanterre. And so it is. Soufflot was the architect, and his design is one of
the happiest of its class. But what a strange life the church has had! And
what an extraordinary jumble of Christianity and philosophy the great dome
has witnessed! Emblems of the Roman Republic and the religion of Christ
stand side-by-side. Cardinals repose in the crypt by the side of Voltaire and
Jean-Jacques. At one time masses are said for the repose of the souls of
defunct Christians; at another, funeral allocutions are delivered by laymen.
And the chopping and changing about! Scarcely finished in 1791, the
Constitutional Assembly decreed that the new church should become a
Temple of Fame, and be known as the Panthéon. The cross was taken down
from the summit of the dome, the inscription, Aux grands hommes, la
Patrie reconnaissante, was substituted for D.O.M. Sub invocatione sanctae
Genovefae sacrum; and under the peristyle was written: Panthéon français,
l'an III. de la Liberté. The words of the report issued, describing the
changes to be adopted in the building, are in the accustomed grandiloquent
language of the First Republic: ... "en un moment où tout doit contribuer à
renforcer dans l'ame des citoyens toutes les sensations que l'enthousiasme
de la liberté fait puiser dans l'amour de la Patrie, &c." Mirabeau, Marat, and
Lepelletier Saint-Fargeau were laid to rest in the crypt.
One of Napoleon's first acts was to decide that "l'église Sainte-
Geneviève serait rendue au culte, conformément à l'intention de son
fondateur, sous l'invocation de Sainte Geneviève, patronne de Paris." But it
was also to preserve the destination ascribed to it by the Constituante, that
of being the burial-place of senators, officers of state, dignitaries, officers of
the Legion of Honour, and of citizens who had rendered eminent service to
their country. The divine offices were to be conducted by the canons of
Notre-Dame, and to this end they were increased by six members. With the
restoration of Louis XVIII. all homage to "great men" disappeared, and the
old inscription was restored. Baron Gros was commissioned to paint the
dome with the Apotheosis of S. Geneviève, a work described by an old
writer in not over flattering terms: "On one of the cupolas of the dome,
which is surrounded by a colonnade of Corinthian pillars, is painted the

Apotheosis of St. Geneviève. Her saintship is in
the costume of a shepherdess, breathing all
peace, all happiness, all immortality. Nothing of
earth is in her composition. Beside her is Louis
XVIII. and little winged angels. They are very
busy—the angels—in scattering flowers about
the saint. Above her is Louis XVI. and his
queen, as elegant as she was upon the threshold
of Versailles, and Louis XVII., all surrounded by
celestial glory. Before her are the persons the
most illustrious of each race; Clovis, who looks
very savage; St. Clotilde, very pretty;
Charlemagne, very heroic; and St. Louis and
Queen Margarite, who look very pious.... The
floor of this temple, incrusted with various-
coloured marble, is very remarkable and very
beautiful. It is exclusively occupied by Voltaire
and Rousseau, at opposite extremities. Who THE PANTHÉON FROM
would have thought that these two champions of CHARENTON.
Infidelity, who were refused Christian burial,
would one day have assigned to their remains the first church of France,
and one of the first in Christendom, as their mausoleum? I wonder if Jean-
Jacques, in his prophetic visions, foresaw this? Why did they not lay them
at the side of each other, that we might all learn how vain are the jealousies,
the petty competitions and animosities of men so soon to come to this
appointed and unavoidable term of all human contentions? It was once the
custom of these old countries to multiply a man by burying him piecemeal,
—his heart at Rouen and his legs in Kent,—because the world was then on
short allowance of heroes; but modern times have reversed this practice;
and Bonaparte has laid up together a whole batch of them in the basement
of this church, for eternity, as you lay up potatoes in your cellar for winter.
Here are the names graven overhead in a catalogue, on the marble, of men
famous for giving counsel to the Emperor (who never took any) in the
Senate, and of men who gained a great deal of celebrity by having their
brains knocked out on the fields of Austerlitz and Marengo. When Marat
was deified by the Convention he was interred here in 1793, and in 1794 he

was disinterred and undeified, and then thrown into his native element, the
common sewer, in the Rue Montmartre—to purify him."[77]
In 1830 another bouleversement took place, and the law of the
Constituante was promulgated once more; but inasmuch as some former
heroes had found their way, through change of opinion, into the sewers, it
was decreed that nobody's ashes should be considered worthy of burial in
the national Walhalla until ten years had elapsed from the time of death.
Thus citizens could be turned into les grands hommes in a comparatively
short period, as compared to the years often required for beatification or
canonization. The second Republic also busied itself with lowering the
cross, and replacing the inscription Aux grands hommes, la Patrie
reconnaissante. It was used as an ambulance during the 1848 troubles, but
restored to divine service by that devoted son of the Church, Louis-
Napoléon, soon after his iniquitous massacre of the people in the streets of
the city; and then, having endowed himself with Imperial honours, he
obtained the aid of the archbishop to create a number of chaplains to serve
at the altar of S. Geneviève. The decree of 1851, which took
"ultérieurement des mesures pour régler l'exercise permanent de culte
catholique," only lasted nineteen years. When the city was besieged, the
permanency of the services exploded like the bombs from Mont Valérien,
and the crypt became a powder-magazine. The church was shored up, the
windows were bricked, and the interior was filled with some 30,000
bundles of straw, as a precaution against the enemy's artillery. But the
German invasion left the building as it found it, and the troubles in the
immediate future were the work of the Comité central. The soldiers were
replaced by National Guards, who began their occupation by industriously
sawing off the arms of the crosses upon the pediment, and at the summit of
the dome, and converting the emblems of Christianity into flagstaffs for the
red flag of the Commune. From the 26th March until the 24th May it waved
aloft in all its pride; but upon the latter day it saw the church occupied by
the Versaillais, who entered just in time to save the building from the
vengeance of the Fedérés, who had threatened it with fire. Like all the other
churches and public buildings, the Panthéon suffered far more from the
shells of the Communists than from those of the enemy; and it took some
years before all the repairs were executed, and "le plus beau gâteau de
Savoie qu'on est jamais fait en pierre"[78] was restored to its former
condition. Some few years ago the Republic suppressed the chaplains, and

re-converted the church into what the Parisian press fondly calls "their
Westminster"; and the next grand homme who was laid in "the most lovely
gâteau de Savoie" was, oddly enough, Victor Hugo himself. He was buried
there immediately after his death; but it is not likely that posterity will ever
wish to reverse our judgment of the poet's greatness, or look upon him as
anything but one of France's noblest sons.
The sculptures of the pediment, representing that sentimental personage
La Patrie accompanied by Liberty and History, are by David d'Angers. La
Patrie is throwing crowns about to its great men; Liberty is fabricating the
crowns, and History is religiously writing up the names, that there may be
no mistake. Civilians stand on the right, messieurs les militaires are
relegated to the left, while several young men and youths are labouring
vigorously in order to attain in the future their right to be amongst the elect.
It is no case of Angels and scales, no weighing of good and bad deeds; the
services of Madame la Justice are not even required; it is simply Patriotism
which selects and serves up for glory those who have deserved well of their
country. The bas-reliefs of the peristyle are by Nanteuil. Here La Patrie,
holding a palm in one hand, is guiding with the other one of her sons who
has died in her service; while Renown is puffing away at a trumpet to herald
forth the deeds of this devoted hero. In another bas-relief Art and Science
are honouring the country by their works; a warrior is, one knows not why,
refusing the crown tendered to him; and a woman, representing Study and
Intellect, is propounding the advantages of Education to the mothers who
have brought their children to Madame la Patrie. The bronze doors are the
work of Destouches, and recall, in style of ornamentation, those of Ghiberti
at Florence.
The interior is, no doubt, grand. Originally lighted by windows in the
walls, it is now somewhat dark and sombre, suitable to a temple for the
repose of the dead. The walls have been covered with paintings, which
partially relieve the dull monotony of the stone; but a building devoid of
sunlight must of necessity be gloomy in a city the sky over which is, for
half the year, grey and colourless.
Although the first of the 425 steps leading to the summit of the dome is
upon the level of the top of the towers of Notre-Dame, the view is not
nearly so interesting as from the latter. There is no river winding at our feet,
and none of those guardian monsters who gaze at the city from the heights
of the cathedral.

The decoration of the interior is now almost completed, and, whether for
good or for evil, it is irrevocable. It was not probable that so artistic a nation
as the French would allow such a building to remain in an incomplete state;
they would rather run the risk of perpetuating failure than leave the work
undone. We English are different. S. Paul's is double the age of the
Panthéon, and we are still squabbling over its decoration; we hang up
designs and drag them down again, we lay out enormous sums in the
embellishment of the altar, and then we spend ever so much more in trying
to circumvent our neighbours, and get rid of the ornament. It is a fate not
necessarily peculiar to our country or this city, because at Brompton a
magnificent church has been designed, built, and decorated in a few years, a
model of refinement, beauty, and grandeur. But the embellishment of S.
Paul's is attempted by spurts only, and up to the present time has left much
to be desired.[79] That may perhaps be an advantage; if nothing is done,
there can be nothing to regret. But the French have acted otherwise, and the
Panthéon embellishment is almost an accomplished fact.
With one or two exceptions, the painting of the church has been confided
to artists with reputations, wearers of the palm-embroidered coats; the
procession of decorators being led by Baron Gros and Gérard, who covered
the dome with pictures in the false, pretentious style of the First Empire,
leaving it a glowing mass of bad taste, as a warning to their successors.
Baron Gros was a great painter, an early naturalist, as witness his Battlefield
of Eylau, in the Salle des Sept Cheminées of the Louvre. There is an amount
of realism in the painting of the dying and the dead, of the snow and the
"man of bronze," that is not surpassed by the realists of the day. But when
he set to work upon Saints and Angels, he must fain idealise and
sentimentalise; and so, instead of having a S. Geneviève in modest dress as
befits a village maiden, we see a sprawling lady in flowing garments of silk
and satin, receiving her guests of kings and queens in a cloudy apartment of
the seventh heaven.
The first, or one of the first walls attacked by the decorator was
Alexander Cabanel's. Here we have the Great works of S. Louis treated in
the academic fashion. Learned in composition and refined in style, with a
good deal of historical truth in costume and character, it is nevertheless
crude and harsh in colour, unharmonious, stagey, and completely
undecorative. The best of the panels is S. Louis learning to read at his
mother's knee, which has a certain pathos in the fair child's expression.

The Coronation of Charlemagne by Leo III. in the old basilica of S.
Peter, by Henri Lévy, looks as if it had lost its way, or had been taken to the
Panthéon until a suitable dwelling could be found elsewhere. Like Cabanel's
S. Louis, it is neither Classic, nor Mediæval, nor Modern—simply weak and
smooth, respectable and historic, after the manner of the Delaroche school.
It is a pity, for, in other hands, these subjects would have been a treasure.
Think of the charming frescoes by Olivier-Merson in the gallery of the Cour
de Cassation of the Palais de Justice, how exquisite is the simplicity of the
boy king, and the grave beauty of his mother. The Coronation of
Charlemagne is composed as an academician would be sure to conceive the
subject. A flight of steps, with the emperor sitting at the top; churchmen and
laymen adoring, and an Angel swooping down with a crown. At the bottom
of the steps, a warrior standing with sword and shield, and a sitting monk
instructing some children from an open book.
Completely opposed to these works are the panels of Puvis de
Chavannes, one of the first decorative artists of our time. His painting is
vague, and somewhat foggy; his figures are clumsy, thick of ankle, neck,
and wrist, but otherwise attenuated to the last degree; and were it not that
the far-off people are smaller than those near the spectator, no one would
know that they are on different planes, for of aërial perspective there is
none. Yet there is a certain purity of sentiment about this, as in all M. de
Chavannes' work, which is almost Archaic. The very dulness of the surface
and the opacity of the medium employed render these pictures a suitable
wall covering for Soufflot's grandiose classicality. The treatment is
dignified, poetic, refined, but at the same time intensely modern and
realistic—witness a hen and chickens picking up some grain in the
foreground, and the charming vistas of landscape background. The colour is
tame, and all the members of the Geneviève family are remarkable for
plainness, not to say ugliness of face and clumsiness of figure; but the
feeling which pervades the whole work is that of a sort of Pagan
Renaissance, suitable to Soufflot's "gâteau de Savoie."

The first of the series, properly entitled La
jeunesse et la vie pastorale de Sainte-
Geneviève represents the maiden praying, while
a woodcutter and his wife are looking on. The
centre and principal compartment is occupied
with the discovery by S. Germain of her little
saintship, surrounded by her father and mother
and a small and admiring crowd. On the left,
boatmen are contemplating the scene from the
river bank, while upon the right is an old man
trying to bend his knee to receive the good
bishop's blessing. A youth, sick unto death, and
PUVIS DE CHAVANNES a poor little beggar are being led to the man of
(FRAGMENT). God, and two women hurry up from milking to
see what is going on. The Seine flows through
the pastures of Nanterre, and Mont Valérien smiles down upon the
company, not having yet learned the art of war. This is all delightfully
pastoral and naïve. The little maid's face, as she looks up at the good
bishop, is sweetness itself; the parents bend their heads, and a neighbour
holds up her wee swaddled babe; but the ensemble is marred by the parrot-
like profile of S. Germain and the general ugliness of the company.
Ugliness is a veritable passion with Puvis de Chavannes, a gospel which he
never loses faith in, a partner allied to eccentricity in all his works.
In another panel we see Faith, Hope, and Charity watching over the
child's cradle, by which is a lamb, the emblem of innocence, purity, and the
pastoral life. Above is a frieze of saints, illustrating the national religious
history of France; SS. Paterne of Vannes, Clément of Metz, Firmin of
Amiens, Lucien of Beauvais, Lucain of Beauce, Martail of Limoges,
Solange of Berry, Madeleine and Marthe of Provence, Colombe of Sens,
Crépin and Crépinien of Soissons, Saturnin of Toulouse, Julien of Brioude,
Austremoine of Clermont, Trophime of Arles, and Paul of Narbonne.
The picture by Th. Maillot is equally wanting in aërial perspective, but
instead of an obscuring fog overwhelming the good citizens of Paris who
are pouring down the "mountain" with S. Geneviève's châsse, a glaring sun
cuts out the figures from the background. The scene represents a procession
through what is now the market of the Place Maubert. It was the 12th of
January, 1496; so says a manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale. Rain had

been pouring down incessantly for an unnatural period, although there was
then no Eiffel tower upon which to lay the blame. What was to be done?
Clearly an appeal must be made to the patron Saint, and her intercession
supplicated to stay the flood. And so the bishop, the abbot, and the canons
regular and secular, trudged barefooted down the montagne bearing the
châsse containing the relics of the maid of Nanterre. An account of the
event is given in a letter from Erasmus to his friend Nicholas Werner. The
sage was ill of a fever at the time, but that did not prevent him from taking
part in the procession, and we easily recognise his familiar physiognomy in
the foreground of M. Maillot's work. "Il y a trois mois qu'il pleut ici, sans
cesse. La Seine étant sortie de son lit, a inondé la campagne et la ville. La
châsse de Sainte Geneviève a été descendue et portée en procession à
Notre-Dame. L'évêque, accompagné de son clergé et du peuple, est venu
au-devant. Dans cette auguste cérémonie, les chanoines réguliers, précédés
de leur abbé marchant nu-pieds, conduisaient les reliques et quatre porteurs
en chemise étaient chargés de ce précieux fardeau. Depuis ce temps le ciel
est si serein qu'il ne peut l'être davantage."
The bishop is represented with a gilt mitre, the abbot wears a white one.
Behind them are the provosts, the military, the magistrates, the canons, and
the people, the procession terminating with the king's drummers and
trumpeters. The crowd of people seem to be walking, or rather tripping
down a very perpendicular street, to cross a zigzag wooden bridge with no
side rails. The horizon is close to the top of the frame, so that the châsse
appears to be falling off the shoulders of the men who are carrying it, and
the people seem to be stepping down a steep incline. The colour is bright,
and the costumes are picturesque, the whole picture having the effect of an
early Flemish work, or of a page torn out of an old manuscript; so early is it
in style that it is as incongruous in its place as would be a van Eyck, or a
van der Weyden. Imagine Raffaello and Michael Angelo decorating S.
Peter's after the manner of Giotto, Botticelli, or Ghirlandajo, and you have
no greater incongruity than Maillot's fresco in S. Geneviève. Placed in S.
Germain l'Auxerrois, or Notre-Dame, the picture would be in keeping with
the architecture; in the Panthéon one feels that the decoration preceded the
building.
Totally different in style, but equally out of keeping with the building,
are the noble pictures of J. P. Laurens, The last moments and the funeral of
the Saint. The artist has endeavoured to depict the semi-barbarous Gallo-

Roman period. S. Geneviève, old and dying, is surrounded by women who
are bringing their children to receive her last blessing. Rich and poor,
nobles and serfs, old men and children, matrons and young girls, priests and
soldiers—all are tearful at their approaching loss. Splendidly drawn and full
of vigour and dramatic power (which are the characteristics of all M.
Laurens' works) the pictures are somewhat black in colour; and, by reason
of their very strength, they look completely out of harmony with the cold,
grey purity of this Classic temple. M. J. P. Laurens is a grand artist, a lover
of dramatic effect and movement, but in the Death of S. Geneviève he is
subdued and reposeful. The grouping of the figures round the bed of the
Saint, the wistful gaze of the children, and the prayerful expression of the
mothers, are all most truthfully rendered; but might not the Saint have had a
little more beauty; might she not have been a little idealised?
M. Bonnat's Martyrdom of S. Denis is well known. The Saint, just
decapitated, clutches at his head; upon the block blazes a nimbus of the sun
tribe; above is an Angel, hurrying down with a palm and crown; general
consternation is depicted upon the faces of the assistants, as might be
expected. It is a masculine work, full of power, but over dramatic and heavy
in colour.
Of J. E. Delaunay's work we can form no idea yet awhile; he began it,
but death cut him off too soon, and another must finish it. One of France's
greatest artists, the painter of the Peste à Rom in the Louvre, is not likely to
have failed in his designs for the Panthéon. Baudry was also commissioned,
but he, too, went all too soon, or we might have had some panels which
would have been fit pendants to those of Puvis de Chavannes.
The Return of Clovis from Tolbiac, by M. Joseph Blanc, is also academic
and correct; superb in drawing, and sober of colour, its chief interest is in
the fact that it contains contemporary portraits—Gambetta, Arago, Lockroy;
and Coquelin figuring as a monk.
Jeanne d'Arc is no more fortunate here than elsewhere; it seems as if she
were an impossibility in art. When one contemplates the number of
painters, sculptors, poets, and musicians who have essayed her history and
sung her praises, one is appalled by the results. One of the most sublime
pages of history; the finest character among heroines; the grandest of
women, of patriots, and of dreamers; the most modest, the most saint-like,
the most unselfish of warriors, la Pucelle seems to oppress everyone who

tries to depict any scene from her life. Perhaps the greatest success of
modern times is Frémiet's fine Renaissance statue in the Place des
Pyramids. Very beautiful also is Bastien-Lepage's Jeanne as a whole; but
the figure does not possess the nobleness which one attaches to the militant
maiden. Certainly M. Lenepveu's compositions form no exception to the
general failure of Jeannes d'Arc. The maid is tied to the stake surrounded by
a goodly assemblage of faggots; one monk reads, another flings a cross into
her hands—as if the poor maid had objected to the cross! Soldiers are all
about, and old Rouen at the back is picturesque with its gabled houses, and
the cathedral in the distance. A man is just seizing a torch, and you know
the end is near; but you are not impressed; you either do not care, or you do
not realise the horror. But it is popular with the populace, and so serves one
purpose for which it was painted—that of pointing a moral of patriotism
and unselfish devotion almost unique but for the recent example of
Garibaldi.
Last, but not least, charming in design, refined, and quite in harmony
with the style of the building, are the mosaics of A. E. Hébert, which are
among the best works of the artist, and quite exempt from the affectation
and sentimentality which, somewhat too often, mar his pictures. These
compositions occupy the apse. In the centre Le Christ montre à l'ange de la
France les grandes destinées du peuple dont il lui confia la garde. Below
this are the words: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat. At the
side of the Saviour is the Blessed Virgin interceding for France; near her,
the patroness, clad as a shepherdess, with a lamb under her arm, is praying
for the city under the symbol of a ship. Above are the following subjects,
The baptism of Clovis by S. Remi in the presence of S. Clotilde; S. Louis
seated between Justice and Power; Jeanne d'Arc listening to the voices.
The ornamental framing of the several pictures has been executed by a
master of decorative art, the late V. Galland. The borders are formed of
garlands of flowers in a low scale of colour, which are divided at regular
intervals by tablets bearing inscriptions and monograms. On the whole, the
decoration of the Panthéon gives little encouragement to other nations who
are desirous of covering large surfaces of wall in their public buildings. The
art seems to be lost; for if the greatest of the French painters have, from one
reason and another, failed to produce an harmonious scheme of decoration,
who is likely to succeed? At best, the church presents a sort of pot-pourri.
No schools are so dramatic as the French; and yet these wall paintings fail

to impress us in the same way as do those, for
example, of the Riccardi Palace, by Benozzo
Gozzoli. It is probably the religious spirit which is
wanting. We can draw better and paint better than
the early Italian or Flemish artists—but the
sentiment is lacking; and thus, whether we turn to
Paris or München, to Berlin or London, we find the
decoration of large buildings, and particularly of
churches, more or less a failure. Perhaps the worst
examples are the terribly dismal, cold, maudlin
Nibelung series at München, compared to which
the Panthéon is Raffaelesque. Had Puvis de
Chavannes been allowed to do the whole church,
the result would have been certainly more
harmonious, and possibly more edifying; but
though gaining in harmony, the frescoes might
possibly have lost in variety. Sometimes too much
LA JEUNESSE DE
of a good thing results in a wearisome monotony.
SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE,
PUVIS DE CHAVANNES.
Sculpture will also be represented later on by a
group of the Revolution, by Falguière; and
doubtless we shall have monuments to Victor
Hugo, Rénan, and other grands hommes, from their grateful country. Let us
hope the decoration may always be as Catholic as heretofore; for S. Louis,
Clovis, Geneviève and Jeanne d'Arc form as much a part of the history of
France as do Voltaire, Mirabeau, Danton, and Dumouriez. We may not care
to sing the "Marseillaise" with Camille Desmoulins, and we may wish we
could forget the fourteenth Louis and all the Napoléons; but it is as foolish
to deny their influence upon the nation as to sponge out the fact recorded on
a door-head that Louis-Napoleon joined the Louvre and the Tuileries.

SAINT-GERMAIN L'AUXERROIS.
Between the years 420 and 430, the ancient British church became
infected with the heresy of Pelagianism, "which budded forth afresh into
this island," as Camden says; and the orthodox clergy, being unable to stay
its progress, sent to Gaul desiring assistance. Thereupon a synod of the
Gallican church was held, and it was determined to send Germanus, bishop
of Auxerre, and Lupus, bishop of Troyes, to confute the heretics. The date
assigned to this event by Prosper, a contemporary writer (and also Camden),
is 429; but he makes no allusion to Lupus, whose participation in the
mission rests upon the evidence of Constantius of Lyons, the biographer of
S. Germanus. This Lupus was a brother of Vincent of Lerins, a famous
teacher, and the author of A Defence of the Catholic Faith, a book which
was of much use to Cranmer and Ridley at the time of the Reformation. The
meeting appointed for the public disputation with the Pelagians is supposed
to have taken place at Verulam, now S. Albans, Hertfordshire, in 429; and
according to the Venerable Bede's account, the heretics came to the council
in great pomp, and advocated their cause with much "inflated rhetoric." But
to no end. Germanus and Lupus silenced them with overwhelming
arguments, and they were utterly discomfited. Bede's account is so quaint,
and shows so great a difference between a 5th and a 19th century council
that it is worth while to quote it in full: "An immense multitude was there
assembled with their wives and children. The people stood round as
spectators and judges; but the parties present differed much in appearance.
On the one side was divine faith, on the other human presumption; on the
one side piety, on the other pride; on the one side Pelagius, on the other
Christ. The most holy priests Germanus and Lupus permitted their
adversaries to speak first, who long took up the time and filled the ears with
empty words. Then the venerable prelates poured forth the torrent of their
apostolical and evangelical eloquence. Their discourse was interspersed
with scriptural sentences, and they supported their most weighty assertions
by reading the written testimonies of famous writers. Vanity was convinced,
and perfidiousness confuted; so that at every objection made against them,
not being able to reply, they confessed their errors. The people, who were

judges, could scarce refrain from violence, but signified their judgment by
their acclamations."
It is worth noting that at this time the people were the judges in matters
theological. Rather a different state of things from that which now prevails
at Rome and other places; but perhaps a return to primitive custom might
not tend to increase peace, or help us out of our theological troubles.

SAINT-GERMAIN AND THE MAIRIE.

When the meeting of the synod was over, Germanus and his companion
seemed to have helped the Britons in a war against a wandering contingent
of Pagan Saxons and Picts, and by a simple stratagem, worthy of a better
cause, routed the enemy. Germanus assembled the British troops in a
hollow surrounded by hills, and enjoined his followers to shout "Alleluia"
three times. This they did, and the echo taking up the sound, produced such
an effect upon the enemy that they took flight for fear of the multitude
which they thought had come out against them. The battle took place, as
Constantius relates, "when the sacred days of Lent were at hand, which the
presence of the divines rendered more solemn, insomuch that those
instructed by their daily preaching flocked eagerly to the grace of baptism.
For the great multitude of the army was desirous of the water of the laver of

salvation. A church formed of interwoven branches of trees is prepared
against the day of the resurrection of our Lord, and though the expedition
was encamped in the field, is fitted up like that of a city. The army wet with
baptism advances, the people are fervent in faith, and neglecting the
protection of arms, they await the assistance of the Deity. In the meantime,
this plan of proceeding, or state of the camp, is reported to the enemy, who,
anticipating a victory over an unarmed multitude, hastened with alacrity.
But their approach is discovered by the scouts; and when, after concluding
the solemnities of Easter, the greater part of the army, fresh from their
baptism, were preparing to take up arms and give battle, Germanus offers
himself as the leader of the war." Such is Constantius' account of the
opening of the battle, which may be completed with Fuller's: "God sent a
hollowness into the hearts of the Pagans; so that their apprehensions added
to their ears, and cowardice often resounded the same shout in their breasts,
till beaten with the reverberation thereof, without striking a blow, they
confusedly ran away; and many were drowned for speed in the river Alen,
lately the Christians' font, now the Pagans' grave. Thus a bloodless victory
was gotten, without sword drawn, consisting of no fight, but a fright and a
flight; and that 'Alleluia,' the song of the saints after conquest achieved, was
here the forerunner and procurer of victory; so good a grace it is to be said
both before and after a battle."
Although this "Alleluiatic victory," as we have seen, is related by Bede
(who copied it from Constantius) and Fuller, it does not appear that the
Welsh MSS. take any notice of it, and its truth is doubted by Dr. Whitaker
in his Ancient Cathedral of Cornwall; but, says Mr. Yeowell, "that a battle
was fought at Maesgarmon, in the parish of Mold, Flintshire, under
circumstances which were afterwards improved into a miracle, is not
improbable; and there are names of places in that neighbourhood which
show that the district has, for some reason or other, been tenacious of the
memory of S. Germain."[80] Pelagius himself was a Welshman given to
travel—he visited Italy, Africa, and even Palestine; and it was at Rome that
the evil communications of one Rufinus, a man deeply imbued with the
principles of Origen, corrupted his good faith in regard to the doctrine of
original sin. But the heresy appears to have been introduced into Britain by
Agricola, a Gallic bishop, and Celestius.
After this victory the good bishop returned to his own country; but in
447, the Pelagians again becoming aggressive, he took a second journey to

Britain, and this time not only baffled the heretics, but banished them.
"News is brought out of Britain," says Constantius, "that the Pelagians'
perverseness is again diffused by a few preachers. The supplications of all
are once more conveyed to this most blessed man that he would come and
preserve the cause of God, which he had formerly won. With this petition
he hastily complies, being delighted with the labour, and willingly spending
himself for Christ." This time Germanus was attended by one of Lupus'
scholars, "a man of all sanctity, who, being then consecrated bishop of
Trèves, was preaching the word of life to the inhabitants of Germania
Prima." On their arrival, they were again met by a great multitude, whom
they blessed; and then preaching the word of God, discomfited the heretics
and banished them from the island.
Germanus seems to have reformed the British Church, and modelled it
upon the Gallican; for it was about his time, and no doubt through his
influence, that parochial churches were founded in country places; the rural
populations having previously depended upon missionaries from the towns
and monasteries for their spiritual teaching. But in 442, the council of
Vaison, in Gaul, decreed that presbyters should be attached to country
parishes as well as to the city churches.
Germanus is thought by some authorities to have introduced the Gallican
liturgy into Britain; he certainly established schools of learning, colleges
and monasteries, where study was the principal work accomplished. During
the Roman occupation of the country, there were no doubt professors of
Greek and Latin in all the chief cities, possibly at London, York, and
Caerleon; for it is not probable that the edict of Gratian, which required all
the chief cities of the Empire to maintain such professorships, should not
have been in force in Britain. But after the withdrawal of the Roman
legions, it became difficult to keep up these professorships; and hence the
foundation of monasteries, as schools of learning for the training of youths
for the service of the Church, was suggested by Germanus; and to this end
he consecrated Dubricius archbishop of Llandaff, and Daniel bishop of
Bangor, besides appointing Iltutus to a place which took his name—Llan
Iltut. The former founded colleges at Hentland-on-the-Wye (where he had a
thousand pupils), and Llancarfan, or Llanfeithin, Caerworgorn, and
Caerleon. The word bangor in Welsh is simply a name for any college; and
towards the end of the 5th century all Christian societies began to assume
that epithet, ban, high; côr, circle or congregation. The word is written

variously (in MSS.), "Ban Cor," "Banchor,"and "Bangor." Bangor Garmon,
or the College of Germanus, at Llanveiltrin, in Glamorgan, was founded by
him in 460. The congregation instituted by the Emperor Theodosius in Caer
Worgorn having been destroyed by the Irish in the middle of the 5th
century, was restored by Germanus, who placed Iltutus over it. This is now
called in Welsh, "Llanilltyd Vawr," in Glamorganshire. According to the
Triads, it contained no less than two thousand four hundred members, one
hundred being employed every hour in order that the praise and service of
God might be continued day and night without intermission. Gildas, the
historian, and Talhaiarn, the bard, are said to have been educated there; and
S. Cadvan and S. Padarn, the companions of S. Germanus, were among the
members of the college until their appointment to similar work elsewhere.
The College of S. Cadoc was also founded under the direction of Germanus
and Catog, who preferred a life of study and religion to succession to his
father's principality.
Little is known of the internal regulations of these colleges, but the
discipline instituted by S. Columba, about a hundred years later, was very
severe. Religious offices were held three times during the day, and as often
during the night. Each day office consisted of prayers and three psalms, and
in the night ones, from October to February, the monks were to chant thirty-
six psalms and twelve anthems at three different times; but on Saturday and
Lord's Day nights, twenty-five psalms and as many anthems. That such
training raised up a set of men who went by the names of "Ordo
Apostolicus," "Ordo Divi Colombæ," is not astonishing, although by
themselves they were called "Famuli Dei," the servants of God.
That S. Germanus was a remarkable man there is no doubt, as we also
owe the discovery of S. Geneviève to his foresight; for when he saw her at
Nanterre, on his way to Britain, he was so impressed by her piety that he
consecrated her to the service of God.
The church in Paris was probably founded in commemoration of some
miracle performed by the bishop during his sojourn in that city, perhaps by
his namesake S. Germain of Paris, who held the memory of his brother of
Auxerre in great esteem and veneration. That its origin was very ancient is
shown by the record of certain gifts from King Childebert and Queen
Ultrogothe. It was probably a round church in its early days, as in 866,
when it was pillaged and destroyed by the Normans, it was called S.
Germain-le-Rond, and it must have been in that edifice that S. Landry,

bishop of Paris, was buried. Formerly a chapter composed of a dean, a
precentor, thirteen canons, and eleven chaplains, served the church, and it
ranked immediately after the cathedral; but in 1744, its chapter was merged
into that of Notre-Dame, and it became a simple parish church.

SAINT-GERMAIN, FROM AN OLD ENGRAVING.

The Quai and Place de l'École, situated near S. Germain, owed their
names, as early as the 13th century, to a public school of great celebrity,
which was established about, or soon after, the time of Charlemagne. S.
Germain was rebuilt by King Robert, and again in the 12th century, to
which period the tower belongs. The principal door, the choir, and the apse
are of the 13th century; the porch, the greater part of the façade, the nave
and aisles, and the chapels of the chevet, are of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The cloister which surrounded the church has disappeared, as also the
dean's house which stood in the space between the church and the Louvre.
It was in traversing the cloisters of S. Germain that Admiral Coligny was
shot, and it was the great bell of this church which gave the signal for the
massacre of S. Bartholomew. S. Germain was the parish church of the
Louvre and the Tuileries, and some of the royal children were baptised
there; and many a time the kings went there in great state to perform their
paschal duties.
The portico projects in front of the three principal West doors, and is the
work of Master Jean Gaussel. It was constructed in 1435, and is a mass of
very beautiful carving. Some of the corbels are examples of the grotesque
imagery of the period. The interior was decorated with frescoes some years
ago, but they are in a parlous, peeling, condition. Two of the statues are old,

S. Francis of Assisi, and S. Mary of Egypt holding the three little loaves
which nourished her in the desert. The central doorway is of the 13th
century, the two side ones are of the 15th. The whole is decorated with
statues of various Saints—amongst others S. Germain, S. Vincent, and S.
Geneviève holding her candle, which a hideous little demon is trying to
extinguish. Round the tympanum, the subject of which is the Last
Judgment, are the Wise and Foolish Virgins, the Apostles and the Martyrs.
Abraham sits on one side holding a napkin on which are three little souls;
while upon the other is a cauldron from the lower regions containing three
lost souls (one mitred), and two horrible demons—one tormenting a soul
with a whip, the other throwing a poor creature into the flames, having
already torn his flesh into shreds. The gargoyles are peculiarly grotesque: a
grinning savage is being ejected from the jaws of a hippopotamus; a man
carries a hooded ape on his shoulders; and a showman is making a monkey
dance. A corbel shows us a quantity of rats persecuted by a cat—the rats
being the wicked who encumber the earth; the cat, the demon who awaits
their souls.

INTERIOR OF SAINT-GERMAIN L'AUXERROIS.

The plan of the church is cruciform; the entire length is 240 ft., and the
width at the transepts 120 ft. The interior is very plain, that is to say, what
remains of the old church after the embellishments of the renovating
architects of 1745. These gentlemen fluted the pillars of the choir, and
converted the mouldings of the capitals into garlands and flowery festoons,
giving the whole a grandly Classic appearance. Happily they left the arches
pointed, instead of filling them in with round-headed ones as at S. Séverin;
and, likewise, we may be thankful that the nave was not "improved," and
that the bosses and the ornament of the Lady Chapel were allowed to
remain in their primitive beauty. Among the subjects of the bosses may be

cited a S. Christopher crossing a torrent with the infant Christ on his
shoulder; and a S. Germain in episcopal vestments, painted and gilt, may be
seen upon an openwork ground in the Lady Chapel.
In 1744 the choir was enclosed by a magnificent screen, the combined
work of Pierre Lescot and Jean Goujon;[81] but the curé and churchwardens,
upon the suppression of the chapter, lost no time in destroying this work of
art, in order to open up the east end of the church to the congregation—not
the only case of its kind.
Had the modern improvers of the church only pulled this down they
might have been forgiven, but they did not rest until they had appointed an
architect named Bacarit to "purify" the church of its "barbarie Gothique."
Unfortunately for the reputation of the academicians of 1745, the project
submitted to, and approved by them, appears to us, so far as it was carried
out, to be a decided barbarie Classique; and even in the beginning of this
century, when the Empire had introduced a sort of pseudo-Classic style, and
made it fashionable, people of taste were no less severe upon the re-
dressing of the old pillars and capitals in Greek garments: "Nearer to my
residence, and of a kindred style of architecture, is the Church of S.
Germain Auxerrois. The west front is yet sound and good. Nothing
particular strikes you on the entrance, but there are some interesting
specimens of rich old stained glass in the windows of the transept. The
choir is completely and cruelly modernised. In the side chapels are
apparently several good modern paintings; and over an altar of twisted
columns, round which ivy leaves apparently composed of ivory are
creeping, is a picture of three figures in the flames of purgatory. This side
chapel is consecrated to the offering up of orisons 'for the souls in
purgatory.' It is gloomy and repulsive. Death's heads and thigh bones are
painted in white colours upon the stained wall; and in the midst of all these
fearful devices I saw three young ladies intensely occupied in their
devotions at the railing facing the altar."[82]
The chapels of the chevet have niches in the wall surmounted by round-
headed arches, and containing statues. There are in all thirteen chapels, but
four of them have been converted into a sacristy and the north door, the
exterior of which is a good specimen of Renaissance work.
The abbé Lebeuf attributed some of the glass of the choir to the
commencement of the 14th century, but not a vestige of this remains; there

is nothing earlier than the two following centuries. Here also the good
gentlemen of the 18th century "improved" much; the church was dark and
gloomy, and so, forsooth, the stained glass of the nave was taken out, and
the colour, and golden fleurs-de-lys of the vaults and columns, were scraped
off or whitewashed over. Thus was lost the history of S. Germain which
formed the subject of the windows. But happily the rose-windows of the
two transepts, four lights in the south aisle and two of the north aisle, still
remain; but these being only of the 16th century, are consequently not in the
best taste. Some have Gothic and some Renaissance surroundings, but the
colour is, if rather bright, clear and rich. Unfortunately, time has obliterated
many of the heads and hands; but enough remains to make out the subjects.
In the north rose, the Eternal Father, in a Papal tiara, is surrounded by
Angels, Cherubim, Martyrs, and Confessors; amongst whom may be
recognised SS. Catherine, Vincent, Margaret, Agnes, Martha, Germain, and
King Louis. Above and below are the four Fathers of the Latin Church. In
the north transept the subjects are taken from The Passion, The Acts of our
Lord, Scenes in the Life of the Patriarch Abraham, a gentleman donor
accompanied by his sons, and a lady followed by her daughters, a S. Peter,
and S. Anne instructing her daughter, and patronising another donor. In the
southern rose, the Holy Spirit descends from Heaven in the form of a dove;
The Blessed Virgin and The Apostles receiving light from above, with
enthusiastic expressions upon their visages. In the southern transept: The
Incredulity of S. Thomas; The Ascension; The Death of the Virgin; and The
Assumption. Above, the Coronation of the Virgin and a well, recalling the
attribute "Well of living water" given to her by the Fathers. There are a
great many modern windows, but except those in imitation of the glass in
the S. Chapelle, by MM. Lassus and Didron, they are of little artistic value.
M. Lassus was the architect who superintended all the later restorations and
decorations.
The chapel of the Blessed Virgin is a little church in itself, with stalls,
organ, pulpit, screen and altar, all richly decorated. The reredos is the tree of
Jesse which surrounds the Virgin with its branches. This is in stone, of the
14th century, and comes from a church in Champagne. Some restorations in
1838 brought to light a curious 16th century wall painting, representing a
cemetery with the graves giving up their dead to the sound of the Angels'
trumpets. Three statues were also found of the same date as the chapel, and
serve as the retable of the altar: they represent the Blessed Virgin sitting,

and S. Germain and S. Vincent (who are united in all the decorations of this
church), standing on each side of her. The banc-d'œuvre was executed in
1648 by Mercier, from drawings by Lebrun. It is handsome in its way, and
excellently carved, but utterly out of keeping with the rest of the church. It
is composed of Ionic columns supporting a huge baldachino; and probably
looked its best when it was filled with royal personages on high festivals
and state occasions. Another exquisite example of wood carving may be
seen in the chapel of Notre-Dame de Compassion, forming the retable. It
belongs to the latest Gothic period, and is covered with a multitude of
figures, representing the Genealogy and History of the Virgin, and the Life
and Death of Christ. This came from a Belgian church. The organ, pulpit,
and stalls are part of the old furniture, but are not remarkable in any way.
S. Germain was formerly a museum of tombs of the 16th and 17th
centuries; but the only remaining ones are the recumbent marble figures by
Laurent Magnier, of Etienne d'Aligre, and his sons, both chancellors of
France, who died respectively in 1635 and 1677; two statues and several
marble busts which belonged to the mausoleums of the house of Rostaing,
formerly situated in S. Germain, and in a chapel of the monastery of the
Feuillants; and an epitaph of a lady of Mortemart, Duchess of Lesdiguières,
who died in 1740.[83] Under the church is a crypt full of bones,
symmetrically arranged as in the catacombs: it was excavated in 1746-7 as
a burial place for the parishioners.
Amongst the tombs of a crowd of courtiers and statesmen were those of
Malherbe, the poet; André Dacier, the savant; the painters Coypel, Houasse,
Stella and Santerre; the sculptors Sarazin, Desjardins, and Coyzevox; the
medallist Warin; the goldsmith Balin; the engraver Israël Sylvestre; the
architects Louis Levau and François Dorbay; the geographer Sanson; and
the Comte de Caylus, the distinguished antiquary; but they have all
disappeared. The grandest tomb was that erected by Charles V. to his jester.
Says Sauval, in his History of Paris (which was not published until after his
death, in 1670): "Charles ne s'est pas contenté d'avoir des fous et des
plaisants; il leur a encore dressé des mausolées, presque aussi superbes que
celui du connétable Du Guesclin. Car j'apprends des registres de la chambre
des Comptes, qu'il en fit enterrer un dans l'église de Saint-Germain
l'Auxerrois. Sur une grande tombe de marbre noir était couchée de côté une
figure peinte et grande comme nature, dont la tête et les mains étaient
d'albâtre, les cuisses, les jambes, les pieds et le corps de marbre blanc, et

qui servit de modèle au mausolée qu'il fit faire en 1375, à Thévenin, autre
fou, dans l'église de Saint-Maurice (de Senlis), par Hennequin de la croix."
But even in the time of Sauvel this curious work of art was no more.
A few fragments of former monuments have found a quiet resting-place
in the Louvre, in the Renaissance Museum. Calvin lived near S. Germain;
and at the dean's house, between the Louvre and the church, a celebrity of
another kind died suddenly on Easter-Eve, 1599—"la belle Gabrielle
d'Estrées." The Maréchal d'Ancre (Concini) was also buried at S. Germain
after his assassination; but the body was torn from the grave the next day by
an infuriated mob, who drew it through the street on hurdles, then hung it,
and finally burnt it.

SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE.
The Château of S. Germain has existed since the time of Charles V., and
has received additions during the reigns of François I., Henri II., Henri IV.,
and Louis XIII. It was given over to James II. of England, and in the church
is his monument, gazed at, if bronze eyes can penetrate stone walls, by M.
Thiers, who sits in an arm-chair outside.

THE CHAPEL OF THE CHÂTEAU OF SAINT-GERMAIN.

SAINT-GERMAIN DES PRÉS.
The Abbey of S. Germain-in-the-fields, of which nothing remains but the
church and the abbot's palace, was, after Notre-Dame, the oldest foundation
in Paris. It dates back to the earliest period of the French monarchy, and its
history is interwoven with that of some of the best and noblest sons of
France. The Saint to whom this church is dedicated was an early bishop of
Paris, and must not be confounded with S. Germain of Auxerre, whose
legend is described on page 178.
The foundation of the abbey was in this wise. Childebert I. having made
a second expedition against the Visigoths in Spain, returned in 543 with
much loot of various kinds: S. Vincent's tunic; a rich gold cross ornamented
with precious stones, from Toledo; some vases which had belonged (so said
tradition) to King Solomon; and a quantity of chalices, patens and golden
covers for the Gospels. What could be more natural, in the 6th century, than
to consult a holy man as to the future destination of such valuables?
Accordingly, Childebert communed with S. Germain on the subject, and the
bishop suggesting the foundation of a church as a fitting home for the
treasures, the king laid the first stone amid the green fields and woods of
what is now the densely populated Faubourg S. Germain. The enclosure
extended from the Rue Jacob on the north, to the Rue Ste. Marguerite on the
south, while upon the east and west the boundaries were the present Rue
Lachaudé and the Rue Bonaparte. The buildings within the precincts were
very numerous, almost forming a city in themselves, enclosed by walls and
surrounded by a moat filled by the waters of the Seine. There were three
gates: the Petit-Bourbon, Ste. Marguerite, and St. Benoit. The church was
originally dedicated to the Holy Cross and S. Vincent, the consecration
taking place upon the very day of Childebert's death in 558.[84] It was
cruciform in plan; the roof, which was covered with plaques of gilt copper,
was supported by enormous marble columns; the walls, decorated with
paintings upon gold grounds, were pierced with numberless windows; and
the pavement was laid in mosaic. At the end of the church was the chapel of
S. Symphorien, which in 576 became the burial-place of good Bishop
Germain, and was subsequently the scene of many wondrous and
miraculous cures, so many indeed that the original patrons, S. Vincent, S.

Symphorien, and the Holy Cross, drifted into almost complete oblivion; and
S. Germain, getting the credit of the cures, became the acknowledged and
chief patron of the famous abbey. Before the foundation of S. Denis by le
bon roy Dagobert, S. Germain served as the burial-place of the
Mérovingian kings and their consorts. Thus, during the 6th and 7th
centuries, the following princes were interred there: the Kings Childebert I.,
Chérebert,[85] Chilpéric I., Clotaire II., and Childéric II.; the queens
Ultrogothe, Frédégonde, Bertrude, and Bilihilde; the sons of Mérovée,
Clovis, and Dagobert; the princesses Chrodesinde and Chrotberge,
daughters of the first Childebert. Some of these tombs were opened in the
time of Dom Bouillart (1655), who gives an account of the performance in
his Histoire de l'Abbaye. The bodies were swathed in shrouds of silk and
other precious stuffs; some of them reposed on beds of odorous herbs,
others were surrounded by phials of aromatic scents. The coffins were of
stone, without any exterior ornament, and contained, besides the bodies,
fragments of drapery, of crossbelts, and foot gear.[86] Some of these stone
coffins may be seen at the Hôtel Carnavalet, which, besides having been the
dwelling-place of Madame de Sevigné, is most interesting on account of its
unique collection of curiosities. But we have been anticipating.
When the abbey was finished, S. Germain sent to its namesake, S.
Symphorien at Autun, for some monks to serve it. At first they followed the
rules of S. Anthony and S. Basil; but shortly after the foundation, they
joined the order of the great legislator of the monks of the west, S.
Benedict. In the 17th century a second reform took place, and they adopted
the rule of S. Maur; and it was after this return to primitive discipline that
the monks of S. Germain became famous throughout Europe by the works
of Jean Mabillon, Bernard de Montfaucon, and other members of their
order. The abbots were formerly all-powerful, exercising spiritual and
temporal jurisdiction over the whole Faubourg S. Germain; but jealousies
occurring there as elsewhere, between the ecclesiastical and the lay
element, and squabbles arising between the bishops and the mitred abbots,
it came about that the kings, uniting their forces with those of the bishops,
were enabled to restrict the power of the abbots to the immediate precincts
of their abbey. Among the famous persons who bore the dignity of abbot of
S. Germain were Hugues Capet, Jean Casimir, King of Poland, several
princes of the House of Bourbon, and many cardinals.

When the Normans swooped down upon France, Paris was their goal,
and the monasteries and churches their desire. Over and over again they
came; pillaging, burning and destroying all they could not carry off. Once
in, or near Paris, S. Germain lay at their feet; its fame, its riches, its
magnificence, made it a mark for attack; and upon one occasion, when King
Eudes had driven out the barbarians, all that was left of church and
monastery was a heap of ruins. But Morard, the twenty-ninth abbot, who
ruled the community from 990 to 1014, undertook the entire restoration, or
rather the rebuilding of the abbey; and it is to him that we owe the oldest
portions of the nave of the actual church. Whether Morard left the work
unfinished, or whether the monks resolved to improve upon his design, we
know not; but about a hundred and fifty years later we find the choir being
rebuilt upon a plan of great magnificence.
Situated as it was, amidst what was termed the Pré-aux-Clercs, the resort
of students and other bellicose persons, it became necessary to guard
against assaults and incursions, by surrounding the monastic buildings with
fortified walls and a moat, strong gates and watch-towers, from whence to
keep an eye upon dangerous neighbours. Later, when students at the
University had become more civilized, when danger of civil war had faded
away, and the Huguenots had been suppressed, streets took the place of the
moat, and houses occupied the site of the fortifications. At the
commencement of the last century the monks built several large houses
from plans by Victor d'Ailly, for artisans and labourers; but for the
privileges obtained by living within the abbey precincts they paid a heavy
rental. These habitations formed the Rues Childebert, Ste. Marthe,
Cardinale, Abbatiale, and de Furstemberg—all within the walls. Originally
there were two cloisters situated to the north of the church, but with the
exception of a portion of the larger one, which has been converted into
dwelling-rooms, they have been completely destroyed. The round arches
and Doric pilasters belong to the 17th century; the older part, which was
built by Abbot Eudes, was cut through and improved away, for the
completion of the Rue de l'Abbaye. The same streets, and the houses
thereof, have also to answer for the destruction of the refectory, the chapter-
house, the great sacristy, and the Lady Chapel, to which the little cloister
gave access. The refectory was a large hall constructed during the life of
Abbot Simon by the celebrated architect of the Sainte-Chapelle, Pierre de
Montereau. It was filled with stained glass bearing the arms of France and

of Castille, some fragments of which may be seen in the church. The stone
statue of Childebert, that stood at the entrance gorgeous with painting and
gilding, is now in the Renaissance Museum of the Louvre. Dom Jacques
Bouillart, describing the refectory as built between 1239-44, speaks of this
statue as "apparently modelled upon a more ancient one."[87] De Montereau
was also the artist-builder of the chapel of the Virgin, commenced under
abbot Hugues d'Issy, who died in 1247, and finished under Thomas de
Mauleon, who resigned his dignities in 1255. This chapel had but one rival,
the chef-d'œuvre of its architect; but all authorities speak of the beauty and
gracefulness of the Lady Chapel, and its similarity to the Sainte-Chapelle in
style and plan. When the great architect died, in 1266, the then abbot Gérard
de Moret, desiring to perpetuate the memory of him who had done so much
to beautify the convent, caused a magnificent tomb to be erected in the
chapel of his creation. Pierre was represented with a rule and compass in his
hand, and the epitaph describes him as Flos plenus morum and Doctor
latomorum.[88] Gérard be Moret was the builder of the chapter house, an
oblong edifice divided into two naves by a row of four central columns,
paved with encaustic tiles and illuminated with stained glass. Passing
behind the church down the Rue de l'Abbaye, is the abbot's palace, a
handsome stone and redbrick building erected by the Cardinal de Bourbon,
about 1586. At the summit of one of the pavilions is a figure of a woman
bearing the arms of the founder upon an escutcheon. Fragments of the
chapel of Our Lady, columns, capitals, gargoyles, balustrades, and other
remains of ornament which were found in a garden hard by, have been
placed in the grounds of the Hôtel Cluny; but the statue of the Virgin and
Child, which was formerly upon a pier, was sent some years ago to S.
Denis.
The gaol was rebuilt in the 17th century, and was flanked by four turrets.
It was the scene of many horrors from time to time, the abbots possessing
the power of punishing as well as of trying criminals; and during the
Revolution it was filled with priests and nobles, who suffered for the crimes
of their forefathers, as well as for their own, being the scene in 1792 of the
hideous September massacres. It was afterwards used as a military prison,
and in 1854 was pulled down. The library was justly celebrated for its
manuscripts, printed books, and other objects of value; but was destroyed
by fire at the commencement of the Revolution.

SAINT-GERMAIN DES PRÉS.

The only part of the church which contains any remains of Childebert's
structure is the apse, into the triforium of which are built some early white
marble capitals and some various coloured marble shafts; but inasmuch as
they have been painted over, all interest in them is destroyed.
The earliest part of the present church dates from the beginning of the
11th century, the choir and apse from the second half of the 12th century.
The best view of the apse with its flying-buttresses is to be obtained from
the garden of the abbot's palace; but since the clearing away of the houses
which formerly were almost built on to the church, and the planting of
gardens round it, the view is very picturesque from any point. An
insignificant 17th century porch leads to the west door, which is underneath
the tower, and has, in its tympanum, a much mutilated bas-relief of The Last
Supper. The tower has been so much restored and renovated from time to
time that little of the original remains. It has a high, but stumpy spire
covered with slates. Dom Bouillart relates that on the 2nd November, 1589,
Henri IV. mounted to the top of it (accompanied by only one ecclesiastic) to

examine the situation of Paris; and, continued the monk, "He afterwards
walked round the cloisters, and without speaking one word, departed." Of
the other two towers which were formerly at the angles of the choir and
transepts, nothing remains but the bases, which were considered necessary
for the support of the church. It seems that they were pulled down about
1822, to save the expense of their restoration! a piece of vandalism which
destroyed the originality of the building and the raison d'être for its
nickname of "l'Église aux Trois Clochers."
The building is 265 feet long, 65 feet broad, and 59 feet high. The nave
is divided into five bays, the choir into four, and the apse into five; but these
latter are much narrower than those of the nave. In the 17th century, the
timber roof of Abbot Morard gave place to a stone vault, the transepts were
rebuilt, and the nave much altered; but quite recently it has been restored to
its primitive condition and decorated with frescoes by Hippolyte Flandrin.
The church having been used during the Revolution as a saltpetre
manufactory, the corrosive waters had so undermined the foundations of the
pillars that they were obliged to be supported by enormous scaffoldings
while the bases were repaired.
The choir and the apse are surrounded by square and polygonal chapels.
The lower arches are round, the upper pointed; the intermingling being in
no way inharmonious. Most of the present capitals are copies of the twelve
remaining original ones which were transferred to the garden of the Hôtel
Cluny; but they are of very inferior workmanship. The subjects treated are
various: Angels, Saints, the Lamb of God, Daniel surrounded by the lions,
priests celebrating the Holy Mysteries, Samson breaking the jaw of the lion.
The old capitals are rough, but full of character, whereas the modern ones
are utterly devoid thereof. A few of the old ones may be studied embedded
in the walls of the aisles; the subjects being: The Visitation, The Birth of
Christ, Warriors costumed as Roman soldiers, Syrens, male and female,
surrounded by fish, interlaced serpents, hippopotami holding smaller beasts
between their paws, and other quaint imagery peculiar to the Romanesque
period. In the Hôtel Cluny may also be seen the upper part of an early ivory
crozier belonging to the abbey, which was found in a coffin during some
excavations in 1854—and some fragments of stone coffins. The choir,
beautiful in its vigorous simplicity, remains as the 12th century left it. It was
dedicated by Pope Alexander III., on the 21st of April, 1163; and on the
same day Hubald, bishop of Ostia, assisted by three other bishops,

consecrated the apsidal chapels. On entering the church at the west end, and
looking towards the altar, it will be seen that the building deviates
considerably from a straight line, which M. Guilhermy ascribes rather to
difficulties of construction, which always occur when a new building is
placed amongst older ones of which it is to be a part, than to the legend
which attributes this arrangement (so common in Mediæval churches) to the
position of our Lord upon the Cross. S. Étienne du Mont is even more out
of a straight line—it turns more than any church I have seen. The columns
resemble those of Notre-Dame in their massiveness. All the arches of the
choir and chapels are round, but those of the apse and clerestory are
pointed. The capitals of these choir pillars are all worthy of study, being in
the best style of the period, and full of the quaint symbolism of the Middle
Ages: human heads of a grotesque style, lions, harpies, birds pecking
vigorously at the heads of men and women, griffins, and winged animals.
The bases are all ornamented with foliage; but between the second and third
chapels on the south side is an example of ornament which is probably
unique, viz., two slippers, one embroidered and one plain, evidently those
of a bishop or abbot.
The original High Altar, renovated in 1704,
has been destroyed since 1792, up to which time
it had existed in all its pristine beauty and
splendour. The frontal was of gilt copper, with
silver-gilt figures under canopies; and upon the
retable rested the châsse of S. Germain, a
magnificent specimen of smithcraft enriched
with precious stones. It was made in the time of
Abbot Guillaume III., about 1408 or 1409, and
contained twenty-six marks two ounces of gold,
250 marks of silver, 260 precious stones, and
A CAPITAL OF THE CHOIR. 197 pearls. One would like to know what
became of so many gems. Six of the cipolin
columns of the baldachino, which were brought from the ruins of a Roman
town upon the African coast in the reign of Louis XIV., are now doing duty
in the gallery of paintings of the Louvre. The tomb of S. Germain, which
was the scene of so many miracles and wonders, has been suppressed and
covered up by the pavement. It was sunk below the level of the church, near
the fourth column of the choir on the north side, and for centuries was a

favourite spot for prayer and meditation. The chapel of S. Symphorien, at
the end of the nave on the south side, is modern, having been consecrated
by the great teacher, S. François de Sales, on the 27th April, 1619; the
monument which marked the first burial-place of S. Germain being no
longer in it. The chapels of S. Marguerite and of S. Casimir, in the transept,
are ornamented with marble columns. That of the Blessed Virgin is modern,
and in wretched taste; and the High Altar, the first stone of which was laid
by Pius VII., is equally out of keeping with the rest of the church.
In an apsidal chapel are some fragments of 13th century glass,
representing SS. Anna and Joachim, The Annunciation and the Marriage of
the Virgin. In the south side of the nave is a large marble statue, called
Notre-Dame la Blanche, given in 1340 by Jeanne d'Évreux to the Abbey of
S. Denis. Placed at the Revolution in the Musée des Petits-Augustins, it was
afterwards transferred to S. Germain. The marble statue of S. Marguerite is
by one of the brothers of the convent, Jacques Bourlet; and that representing
S. François Xavier is by Coustou the younger. The following tombs were
partially restored in 1824: Jean Casimir, King of Poland, who, having
renounced his throne, became abbot in 1669, and died in 1672 (the kneeling
figure is by Marsy, the bas-relief by Jean Thibaut, of the Congregation of S.
Maur); Olivier and Louis de Castellan, killed in the service of the king in
1644 and 1669 (the figures and medallions are by Girardon); William
Douglas, eighteenth Earl of Angus, who died in 1611, and his grandson
James Douglas, killed in 1645, near Douai, aged twenty-eight. The
epitaphs, which the Academy set up in 1819 to the memory of Nicholas
Boileau, of René Descartes,[89] of Jean Mabillion, and of Bernard de
Montfaucon, which were formerly at the Musée des Petits-Augustins, were
placed here on the dispersal of that museum. Boileau reposed formerly in
the Sainte-Chapelle, and Descartes at S. Geneviève. What remained of the
royal tombs was transferred to S. Denis. Of the riches of the Treasury
nothing whatever was saved; it was all pillaged and dispersed.
The whole church has been painted in polychrome; red shafts and gilded
capitals, a blue-and-gold starred vault. All round nave, transepts, and choir,
just below the clerestory, are the exquisite frescoes by Flandrin, one of the
few 19th century religious painters who has shown the possibility of uniting
the sentiment of the early Florentine and Flemish schools with the, in some
respects, superior knowledge of the modern. His work is so purely
religious, and yet so essentially modern, that one wonders whence he drew

his inspiration. There is nothing of the Archaic in his pictures; his figures
are never attenuated, and yet the sentiment is as full of piety as in the work
of Angelico: it is as if the Frenchman had drunk in the beauty of form of the
Greeks, and amalgamated it with the faith of the Early Christians. And yet
there is none of the false sentimentality of the modern school, the Saints
who simper, and the milk-and-water misses bearing palm branches and
crowns, and calling themselves martyrs. Flandrin's is essentially a
masculine type of art; it is powerful as well as graceful, vigorous as well as
refined. His Saints and Angels have all the sweet expression of those of Fra
Angelico and Filippo Lippi; while they are as perfectly modelled as a Greek
Apollo, or the figures of Buonarroti and Raffaello. But Flandrin was not
ashamed of calling himself a believer in the doctrines and mysteries of the
Christian faith, and in the Biblical subjects which he was called upon to
illustrate. The man who considered religious painting to be "the height of
Art, and the most worthy employment of genius," and who wrote upon the
door of his studio, "Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work, I
will triumph in the works of Thy hands," could not have been, as a
Christian, on a much lower level than Fra Angelico, who is said to have
painted while assuming the attitude of prayer. Flandrin was the favourite
pupil of Ingres, and won the Grand Prix de Rome of 1832. Humble-minded,
gentle, courageous, he worked for love rather than for fame or money. His
early struggles when he first arrived in Paris from his native place were
terrible. He lived in a veritable garret with his brother, sacrificing anything
in order to work at painting. Often in winter they went to bed at 5 o'clock in
the afternoon to escape the cold of their attic. Their dinner was frequently
some fried potatoes bought at stalls in the streets and squares; and it is
probably to the privations endured for love of art that his bad health and
early death may be attributed. But his enthusiasm carried him on; and he
lived long enough to count his sacrifices as nothing compared to his
successes. He stands out in this 19th century an example to all artists, and
as the one man who can be compared to the blessed monk of Fiesole.
Like so many artists, he had to surmount many a home obstacle; and,
being the fourth of a family of seven children, with two brothers devoting
themselves to their father's calling, it is no wonder that the good mother
wished Hippolyte to try some trade by which he could live. The father had
been ambitious; but had been obliged to give up genre for miniature
painting. The boys, however, plodded on, and sketched all that came in their

way, which seems to have been mainly soldiers; and when a sculptor named
Fayatier, happening to see their drawings, gave them a little encouragement,
the mother's opposition melted, and they entered the studio of Magnin at
Lyons. There and at the Beaux-Arts, they remained seven years, selling
drawings and lithographs wherewith to gain a little nest-egg to enable them
to go to Paris, the goal then, as now, of ambitious students. It was little
enough, but the journey, being taken upon foot, the whole hoard was
reserved for household expenses and lessons. Once in the capital, the
brothers resolved to put themselves under M. Ingres, if he would allow
them, and so encouraging was his welcome, that a friendship soon sprang
up between master and pupils. Many traits in Ingres' character which came
out in the history of the Flandrins' early artistic career prove him to have
been sympathetic to the highest degree; and not a little pleasant is it to find
that, when he heard of his pupils' forced asceticism, he exclaimed, "And I
was taking their money!" Indeed, there are many anecdotes which prove as
much the love of the master for the pupils as the devotion of the pupils for
the master. He was inconsolable when Hippolyte failed to gain the Prix de
Rome. "You have no notion how hard it is for a young man's hopes to be
dashed to the ground!" he said to his wife; and he spoke of him as the
"Lamb which had been slaughtered." He knew that it was unjust, and he felt
the injustice as much as if it had been done to himself.
The account Hippolyte gives his brother Auguste of the whole affair is
most touching.[90] "Mon bon ami, mon cher Auguste, I have experienced the
last trial in competing for the Grand Prix, but it has been dreadful! The
subject was a figure in painting, three feet high. I executed it, and yesterday
was the day of the decision. I was satisfied with myself, and was hopeful,
mais tu verras. M. Ingres, M. Guérin, M. Granet, and three other members
of the Institute, on entering the exhibition hall, wished to place me first.
Mais non: M. Gros and his party carried it otherwise; and instead of first, I
have been voted last. M. Ingres, in despair, at length left the room,
protesting with all his might against the proceedings of the meeting; and I
have not been received. You may imagine what I felt when I heard I was
excluded.... I dared not call upon M. Ingres; still I could not reproach
myself; my figure was far the best; I can say so without pride. At last, in the
evening, I determined to go. I found him at dinner, but he ate nothing.
Several members of the Institute had come to comfort him, but he would
not be consoled. He received me with, "Behold the lamb they have

slaughtered!" ... And all this with the accent of a heart so deeply moved that
tears filled his eyes. He made me sit at his table, dine with him, and at last
embraced me as a father would his son. I went away and was comforted.
Oh! what do not I owe to this man who has already done so much for us,
and who, on this occasion, has perhaps done more.... But sometimes regret
seizes me, for this would have been the means of taking a great step.... And
then it was the only way to show my gratitude to M. Ingres; for to you, my
brother, I can say that my good master had founded great hopes on my
picture." The next year the same difficulties (want of money to pay for
models, &c.) made him almost give up the idea of competing; but getting
some portraits to do, and knowing that his master was keen upon the matter,
he sent in his name. One of his sitters happened to be a gen-d'arme, whom
he had promised to paint for 30 fs. When the portrait was finished, the man
was so pleased that he said to the painter, "I promised you 30 fs., but here
are 35 fs.!" Flandrin often said that he never was so pleased as when he
received those additional 5 fs.
But a greater enemy to work than poverty appeared—cholera, the
scourge of 1832. One of the competitors for the Prix de Rome died on his
way to the school, and Hippolyte was attacked. He struggled against it, and,
weak though he was, he went on working; but at length he had to give way,
and for a whole month he was in bed. A few days before the time for
sending in the pictures, he returned to work, and managed to finish his
subject, which was at once pronounced as having the Grand Prix. At Rome,
Flandrin was in his element; he studied the great masters, and drank in all
their wisdom, working almost entirely upon religious subjects. Even Ary
Scheffer, then at the height of his fame, felt the extreme beauty of his young
rival's art. "No, I know nothing, nothing at all," he said to Hippolyte, on
seeing the latter's picture of Jesus with the Little Children.
Flandrin's first commission for Church decoration was in his native city,
S. Severinus of Lyon; his second, S. Germain; but his greatest work was the
mural painting of S. Vincent de Paul, which he accomplished some years
later.
On the 21st of March, 1864, Flandrin died at Rome of small-pox,
whither he had gone for his health. He was buried at Père-la-Chaise; but the
funeral service was held in the church he did so much to embellish; and,
two years after, his friends placed a monument by M. Oudine to his
memory, upon the wall of the north aisle. It is composed of white marble,

four columns supporting a pediment, and resting upon a freize. Below the
bust is an epitaph which is little in keeping with the man or the place:
À HIPPOLYTE FLANDRIN.
SES AMIS, SES ELÈVES, SES ADMIRATEURS, LYON, 22 MARS,
1809,—ROME, 21 MARS, 1864.
Not one word of what he loved above all things, his home, his country,
his art, and his God; and yet his friends, his pupils, and in fact everyone
acquainted with him, must have known that such a man would have liked a
few words upon his tomb which would have borne witness to the depth of
his religious feelings. Here is an extract from a letter to his eldest brother
which breathes through it his piety and his love of home: "You cannot
imagine how I long to see you and embrace you, as well as the mother and
father. Almost every night I fancy myself at Lyon, and yesterday I was
really angry with Paul (his brother, helper, and fellow-student), because he
awoke me just at the moment when I thought I was kissing you. I was
crying for joy.... Remember that we agreed to pray for each other every
evening. I never fail to do so, and I feel sure our poor mother never forgets:
she loves us so much, and she is so far off. Pauvre père, la bonne mère,
vous n'êtes plus entournés par tous vos enfants."
The choir was the first part of S. Germain which was decorated, and it is
the most successful, the nave pictures being somewhat flat, and faded in
colour; but without the use of gold it was impossible to make the subjects
effective with the bright polychrome surroundings, and Flandrin justly
considered that the nave should be subordinate in splendour to the choir and
sanctuary. On the right and left of the commencement of the choir are two
large compositions: Christ entering into Jerusalem, and The Way of the
Cross, both upon gold grounds. Above these are the twelve Apostles clothed
in white, and the allegorical Virtues; and higher still are the founders of the
church, Childebert and S. Germain, with the patron S. Vincent, Queen
Ultrogothe, and abbot Morard. All these works are full of intense feeling,
and the group of the Blessed Virgin and S. John have rarely been surpassed,
from the pathetic point of view, by any religious painter. There is a certain
modernness about them; the figures seem to emphasize the human element
in our Lord's person, the sympathy, the love, and the sorrow; there is no
weak sentimentality depicted—and yet the treatment adheres to the
conventional traditions. The richness of the gold around, too, enhances the
beauty of the compositions, and makes them almost as gorgeous as mosaics.

The frescoes of the nave occupy the space between the arches and the
clerestory windows—in all, twenty compositions. The subjects are taken
from the history of our Lord, and the corresponding Old Testament types.
The two pictures forming one subject in each architectural division, show
how perfectly the arts of painting and architecture may be made to
harmonize, to be welded together as it were, although seven centuries
separate the builder from the decorator. Except for a certain modernness of
style, Flandrin might have lived and worked with the original architect, for
his plan is that so often seen in the works of the Mediævalists, as for
instance in the Biblia Pauperum.
In the first arcade on the left, on entering the church, we see The
Annunciation and the Burning Bush, and under the window the text:
"Domine mitte quem missures es" (Exodus iv. 13). The characteristic of the
first of these pictures is the simplicity of the Virgin's expression, as she
hears the Angels' message. Next comes The Nativity and its type, The Fall,
with the legend, Per hominem mors, per hominem resurrectio (1
Corinthians xv. 21). The figures of Adam and Eve are excellent examples of
the purity of form so commonly found in Flandrin's work. The Nativity is
treated in the conventional manner, except that three Angels watch the child
and its mother (who lie upon a rustic bed); while behind them, a Seraph
bears a banner upon which is written: "Gloria in, Excelsis Deo."
This is followed by The Adoration of the Magi and Balaam, the text
being: "Habitantibus in regione umbrae ... lux orta est" (Isaiah ix. 2). The
Old Testament subject depicts the moment when Balaam, taken to the top of
Pethor by Balak, blesses instead of curses the enemy. Before them is the
altar; around them are the princes of Moab, angry and threatening; in the
background are the tents of the children of Israel. The victims are ready for
the sacrifice, but to the astonishment of the king and his followers, Balaam
lifts up his voice and blesses those he was brought to curse. How goodly are
thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! This is one of the finest of
the series.
In The Baptism we see the ascetic figure of S. John the Baptist pouring
water upon Our Lord's head, while three Angels kneel upon the bank of the
river, doing homage. Above is the descending dove and the verse: Erit
Sanguis Vobis in Signum (Exodus xii. 13). In the Passage of the Red Sea,
the majestic figure of Moses stands upon the shore, his hair and drapery
blown by the wind. He raises his hand, and the waters close over the

Egyptians, while the Israelites lift up their voices in triumphant songs,
Miriam leading them to the sound of the timbrel: Sing ye to the Lord, for he
hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the
sea.
The Institution of the Eucharist is treated from the purely Roman
Catholic point of view. Our Blessed Lord is standing, holding up the wafer
for adoration, while He places the other hand upon His side, symbolical of
the gift of the sacred heart combined with His precious body. The Apostles
form two groups, one on each side: Novi Testamenti Mediator est (Hebrews
ix. 15). The Old Testament type is Melchizedek appearing to Abram: And
Melchizedec King of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the
priest of the most high God.
The next pictures, close to the choir, are badly lighted, but both are very
fine. The Treason of Judas, and Joseph sold by his Brethren: Pro salute
vestra misit me Deus (Genesis xiv. 5).
And now we come to a subject into which Flandrin threw all his strength
—The Crucifixion—which is not inferior in feeling to the great Angelico in
the Convent of San Marco at Firenze. The divine expression of the dying
Saviour, the heart-rending sorrow of the Mother, and the passionate grief of
the Magdalen, are all exquisitely portrayed. So, too, The Sacrifice of Isaac,
which is its type, is full of pathos and true religious sentiment. Proprio filio
non pepercit (Romans viii. 32) is the text.
In the treatment of Jonah, the type of The Resurrection, the painter has
avoided what must always be a difficulty—the great fish. Those who saw
this tableau years ago at Ober-Ammergau must remember that even the
good souls of that village could not divest the subject of the ludicrous
element, and they did well, in 1890, to omit it. But Flandrin has got over the
difficulty by making his prophet walking upon a beach, with waves
breaking upon the shore around him. He has been ejected from the whale,
and is giving thanks for his deliverance. Signum Jonæ Prophetæ (Matthew
xii. 39).
That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same body, and
partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel, is the legend of the charge
to Peter. Gentes esse cohaeredes ... promissionis in Christo (Ephesians iii.
6). In the foreground kneels S. Peter, to whom Our Lord gives the keys of
heaven and hell: but the rest of the Apostles stand around, and form part of

the group: Feed my sheep. The type is The Dispersion of the Nations
subsequent to the building of Babel; and Flandrin has most graphically
described the wonder and amazement of the crowd, who, not being able to
converse any longer, leave the town and scatter themselves over the face of
the earth.
Above the frieze of subject-pictures are
numerous personages in the panels which surround
the windows, all from the Old Testament: Adam
and Eve, Jacob Blessing his Children, Job,
Samson, Aaron, Joshua, Miriam, Deborah, Judith,
and ending with John the Baptist. Adam and Eve
are, perhaps, the finest of these figures. Adam
stands erect, thoughtful, repentant, and ashamed;
but his clasped right hand seems to indicate
steadfastness of purpose to retrieve the past. Eve
abandons herself to sorrow, and leans upon her
husband's shoulder as if resolving in the future to
depend upon him. The treatment is at once almost
Classic in its simplicity, and realistic in its
naturalism; the only discordant note being a
something in the way in which Eve's hair falls
upon her forehead, an echo, as it were, of the
ADAM AND EVE.
model, and the ugly fashion of dressing the hair
peculiar to the thirties and forties, which so often
shocks us in the Nymphs and Venuses by Etty, and gives them an unclothed
appearance.
Formerly, judging from Dibden's account of the church, there was great
display in the religious functions at S. Germain: "The immediate vicinity of
S. Germain is sadly choked by stalls and shops—the West front has been
cruelly covered by modern appendages. It is the church dearest to
antiquaries, and with reason. I first visited it on a Sunday, when that part of
the service was performed which required the fullest intonations of the
organ. The effect altogether was very striking. The singular pillars of which
the capitals are equally massive and grotesque, being sometimes composed
of human beings, and sometimes of birds and beasts, especially towards the
choir—the rising up and sitting down of the congregation, and the yet more
frequent movements of the priests—the swinging of the censers—and the

parade of the vergers, dressed in bag wigs, with broad red sashes of silk,
and silk stockings—but above all, the most scientifically-touched, as well
as the deepest and loudest toned organ I ever heard—perfectly bewildered
and amazed me! Upon the dispersion of the congregation—which very
shortly followed this religious excitation—I had ample leisure to survey
every part of this curious old structure, which reminded me, although upon
a much larger scale, of the peculiarities of S. Georges de Bocherville and
Notre-Dame at Guibray. Certainly, very much of this church is of the
twelfth century, and, as I am not writing to our friend N., I will make bold
to say that some portions of it yet 'smacks strongly' of the eleventh."
I cannot say that I have ever noted much ceremonial, or any fine music,
at S. Germain. Times have changed probably; certainly, its chief beauty
now is the building itself—its grand architecture and beautiful decoration.

SAINT-GERVAIS-SAINT-PROTAIS.
There can be no doubt that the quaint inscription
informing "les bonnes gens" that the church of
Messeigneurs Saint Gervais et Saint Prothais was
dedicated in 1420, refers to an earlier building than
the present one. The Saints were twin-brothers, and
are represented here as elsewhere, vested as
deacons, although there is no evidence in their
history of their having been in holy orders. The full
inscription is as follows:—
BONNES GENS PLAISE
VOUS SAUOIR QUE CESTE
PRESENTE ESGLISE DE
MESSEIGNEURS SAINT GERVAIS ET
SAINT PROTHAIS FUT DEDIÉE LE
DIMÂNCHE DEUANT LA FESTE DE
SAINT SIMON ET SAINT JUDE, L'AN
MIL QUATRE CENS ET VINT PAR LA
MAIN DU REUEREND PERE EN DIEU
MAISTRE GOMBAUT, EVESQUE D'A-
GRENCE, ET SERA A TOUSJOURS LA
FESTE DE LA SAINTE DÉDICACE LE
DIMÂNCHE DEUANT LA DICTE FESTE DE
SAINT SIMON ET SAINT JUDE. SI
VOUS PLAIS Y VENIR, GANGNIER LES
GRANS PARDONS ET PRIEZ POUR LES
BIENS-FAICTEURS DE CETTE ESGLISE ET
AUSSI POUR LES TRESPASSEZ. PATER
NOSTER AUE MARIA.

The twins were discovered as martyrs by S. Ambrose at Milano, when,
in 387, he was desirous of founding a new church. The people called upon
him to consecrate the building by placing some holy relics therein; and he,
good bishop, was only too eager to gratify their wish. And so he had a
dream, or a trance, or something between the two; for, while possessed of
this desire to gratify the piety of his children, he, like a good shepherd, went
to the church of S. Nabor and S. Felis to pray for his sheep; and as he knelt,
he saw a vision of two beauteous young men clothed in white, standing
with S. Peter and S. Paul. And it was revealed to S. Ambrose that these two

young men were holy martyrs, whose bodies had been buried where he
knelt. So he called his clergy-folk, and they all searched, and found two
bodies of gigantic size separated from the heads, with much blood, and
some writing recording their names. They were Gervasius and Protarius,
who had suffered martyrdom under Nero. Having been sent bound to
Milano, together with Nazarus and Celsus, they were brought before Count
Artesius and accused of being Christians. Upon being commanded to
sacrifice to Artesius' idols, they refused and were condemned, Gervasius to
be beaten to death with lead-loaded scourges, Protarius to be beheaded.
Thus they died, and a good man named Philip took up their bodies, and
buried them in his own garden, where they rested until discovered by S.
Ambrose. On the second day of the discovery, the bodies were borne with
great solemnity to the Basilica; and many persons, touching the pall which
covered the Saints, were cured of divers diseases, and of evil spirits. One
man who had been blind for many years, Severus by name, and who had
lived upon the alms of the wealthy, obtained permission to touch the bones
of the holy martyrs, and was restored to sight; and then all the people
rejoiced, for the man's infirmity being well known to everyone in the city,
there could be no doubt that the cure had been effected through the
intercession of the blessed saints. And this being so, S. Ambrose laid their
bones under the altar, saying: "Let the victims be borne in triumph to the
place where Christ is the sacrifice; He upon the altar, who suffered for all;
they beneath the altar, who were redeemed by His suffering!" Then came
the Arians, and scoffingly accused S. Ambrose of bribing Severus and
others to aid and abet him in his miraculous performances; but the bishop
defeated their wicked ways, and the church was dedicated to the twin
brothers. S. Ambrose was buried in the same church, and subsequently its
name was changed to that of Sant' Ambrogio Maggiore. In Italy the brothers
were held in little repute as time went on; but S. Germain, bishop of Paris,
having in 560 carried some of their relics to France, they became
exceedingly popular, and the patrons of several cathedrals and parish
churches, besides being favourite subjects with some of the French school
of painters, Le Sueur, Philippe de Champagne, and Nicholas Poussin.
In the History of S. Germain by Fortunat, a church dedicated to the twin
brothers is mentioned, the door of which, when the good bishop desired to
enter the building, flew open of its accord. S. Germain entered the church,

and after much praying, restored his sight to a blind man, and worked other
wondrous miracles through the intervention of the martyrs.
The present church is of Pointed and Classic architecture, the portal and
façade being in the latter style.[91] Louis XIII. laid the first stone in 1616,
Jacques de Brosse being the architect. A not very favourable, but tolerably
just, opinion is passed upon it by our old friend Dibden:
"The next Gothic church to Notre-Dame in size and importance is that of
S. Gervais, situated to the left, in the Rue de Monçeau. It has a very lofty
nave, but the interior is exceedingly flat and divested of ornaments. The
pillars have scarcely any capitals. The choir is totally destitute of effect.
Some of the stained glass is rich and old, but a great deal has been stolen or
demolished during the Revolution. There is a good large modern picture in
one of the side chapels to the right, and a yet more modern one much
inferior on the opposite side. In almost every side chapel, and in the
confessionals, the priests were busily engaged in the catechetical
examination of young people previous to the first Communion on the
following Sabbath, which was the Fête Dieu. The Western front is wholly
Grecian—perhaps about 200 years old. It is too lofty for its width—but has
a grand effect, and is justly much celebrated. Yet the situation of this fine
old Gothic church is among the most wretched of those in Paris. It is
preserved from suffocation only by holding its head so high." The last
remark is no longer applicable, as the church is now quite disencumbered
from secular excrescences.
The interior is cold, dull, and dreary, almost the only part that relieves its
monotony being the organ tribune, which is quaintly ornamented with
Angels and Corinthian columns, a device of the 17th century. The statues of
the Saints upon the altar are the work of Bourdin, a sculptor of the 17th
century. The six candelabra and the cross of gilt bronze, belonging formerly
to the abbey church of S. Geneviève, are among the bronze chefs-d'œuvre of
the 18th century. The stalls are finely carved, and bear various designs upon
their bas-reliefs; but especially notable are the little histories upon the
misereres: a writer at his desk; an architect measuring some blocks of stone,
accompanied by his workmen; a baker putting his bread in the oven; a man
stooping down with a fool's cap on his head; the vinedressers in a vat; a
Genus sleeping upon a grave with his head resting upon a skull; two men
squabbling; a shoemaker at his last, surrounded by a fine collection of foot-
gear; two men roasting; a Syren, a crowned Salamander, a grotesque

animal, a lion, and a pig gobbling in a gluttonous fashion; and finally a man
in a boat traversing a river.
Some of the glass is fine, but much has been destroyed; and only the
other day the Anarchists did their best to demolish the little which remains.
In the choir the story of Lazarus, and the Pilgrimage to Mont Saint-Michel,
were painted by Robert Pinaigrier, as well as the windows of the Lady
Chapel; and another great vitrier, Jean Cousin, embellished S. Gervais with
some beautiful golden-toned glass—The Martyrdom of S. Laurence, The
Good Samaritan, and The Judgment of Solomon. On one fragment of the
latter is the date 1531. The story is told most quaintly; Solomon sleeps
surrounded by his books; and it is thus that he drinks in the wisdom which
the Queen of Sheba, in the next panel, comes to enjoy.
Among the other subjects, we see S. Peter baptising Cornelius,
surrounded by divers Scripture events. In the Lady Chapel a Tree of Jesse
has survived, and also the Legend of S. Anne, attributed to Pinaigrier; but
the latter is filled in with much that is modern—clever, but wanting in the
vigorous drawing of the old glass painters, and the glorious transparency of
the colours. One of the old panes shows us the Virgin weaving a curtain for
the Temple, and being fed by an Angel. In this chapel there is a remarkable
boss which descends from the vault. If is 6ft. in diameter, and falls 3ft.; and
although iron has been used in its fabrication, it is, notwithstanding, a
wonderful piece of masonry of the brothers Jacquet. It is a mass of carving
—emblems of the Blessed Virgin; a fortified town (the Tower of David),
and the Morning Star; attributes found in the offices of Our Lady.
A good many distinguished people were buried at S. Gervais: Scarron,
more celebrated as having been the first husband of the notorious Mme. de
Maintenon than for his writings; that excellent, but insufficiently
appreciated painter, Philippe de Champaigne; Ducange, the antiquarian and
historian; the chancellors Le Tellier, Louis Roucherat and Charles Voysin;
archbishop Le Tellier of Reims, son of the chancellor and founder of the
library of S. Geneviève; and the poet Crébillon, author of Rhadamistus,
Electra, Catiline, and other tragedies. The only monument which remains is
that of Le Tellier, who reposes in white marble upon a black marble
mattress, with allegorical figures watching over his slumbers. It was the
work of Mazeline and Hurtrelle, members of the Academy, but not
otherwise celebrated, as is occasionally the case.

In one of the chapels of the nave is a 13th century bas-relief of Our Lord
receiving His mother's soul as she expires, surrounded by the Apostles; a
fine old picture painted upon wood, of various scenes from the Passion,
formerly attributed to Albrecht Dürer, but more probably by some master of
the Flemish school. Many of the pictures by Lesueur, Bourdon, and
Philippe de Champaigne, formerly in this church, are now in the Louvre.

LA TOUR SAINT-JACQUES.
This tower is all that remains of the church of S. Jacques de la
Boucherie, which had to be demolished to make way for the Rue de Rivoli.
It was commenced in 1508, and finished in 1522. The figure of S. James
upon the little turret, and his friends the Evangelistic animals, by Rauch,
were thrown down in 1793; but in 1836, when the municipality saved the
tower by purchasing it, the statues were repaired and replaced. The church
contained many tombs and slabs, some of which have found a home in the
Hôtel Cluny. One of the most famous persons buried at S. Jacques was
Nicholas Flamel, a member of the University, and librarian, who died in
1417, leaving large sums of money to the church. His effigy, and that of his
wife, were to be seen kneeling at the Virgin's feet in the tympanum of the
porch. He was venerated as their patron by the alchymists, for having, as
was affirmed, discovered the philosopher's Stone; and several times his
house in the Rue des Écrivains was rummaged in order to find some
indication of his secret. His funeral tablet has the following epitaph
engraven upon it, and is numbered 92 in the collection of the Hôtel Cluny:

TOUR SAINT-JACQUES, LOOKING TOWARDS THE HÔTEL DE VILLE

FEU NICOLAS FLAMEL JADIX ESCRI
VAIN A LAISSÉ PAR SON TESTAMENT À
LEUSORE DE CESTE ÉGLISE CERTAINES
RENTES ET MAISONS QU'IL AVOIT
ACQUESTÉES ET ACHETÉES À SON VI-
VANT POUR FAIRE CERTAIN SERVICE
DIVIN ET DISTRIBUCIONS D'ARGENT
CHASCUN AU PAR AUMOSNE TOU-
CHANS LES QUINZE VINS: LOSTEL DI
EU ET AULTRES ÉGLISES ET HOSPITEAUX
À PARIS.—SOIT PRIÉ POURS LES TRÉPASSÉS.

The Tour S. Jacques is an excellent example of what may be done with
the remaining portions of demolished buildings. As it stands, surrounded by
gardens, it is a most beautiful object, an oasis in the desert of streets, and
trams, and omnibuses, a quiet spot where children may skirmish, and
mothers can sit in the open air and knit their stockings. Why cannot we do
likewise in London? If churches must be felled to the ground, why cannot
we leave their towers as a centre to the burial-ground gardens, or remove

and re-erect them in our parks? We might with advantage follow the
example of Paris, both in the preservation of the old tower of S. Jacques,
and in the arrangement of the garden of the Hôtel Cluny, where, also,
fragments of churches are set up as ornaments.
It was from the top of the tower of S. Jacques that Pascal made certain
experiments of the density of the air; and in memory of this, his statue, in
white marble, was placed under the porch.

SAINT-JACQUES DU HAUT-PAS.
In no way remarkable, this church need only be mentioned as having
been built between 1630-1684, in the Italian fashion. It is in the street of the
same name.

SAINT-JEAN-SAINT-FRANÇOIS.
Founded in 1623, in the Rue Charlot, as a chapel for the Capuchins, S.
Jean contains a statue of S. Francis of Assisi, by Germain Pilon, and a S.
Denis, sculptured by Jacques Sarazin for the Abbey of Montmartre, by
order of Anne d'Autriche.

SAINT-JULIEN LE PAUVRE.
In a little back street not far from S. Séverin is the old church of S.
Julien, a fragment only of its former self, and all that remains of the ancient
priory. Its locality is described in Guillot's Dict. des Rues de Paris, which
gives a description in verse of the principal houses and streets in the city at
the end of the 13th century, as follows:—
Puis la rue de Saint-Julien
Qui nous gart de mauvais lien,
M'en revins à la Buscherie
Et puis en la Poissonnerie.

And it appears that "il y avait jadis, près du Petit-Pont et la prison du
Petit-Châtelet, une ruelle appelée ruelle du Carneaux,[92] qui conduisait au
marché au poisson d'eau douce." This fish-market evidently occupied the
site of the old annexe of the Hôtel-Dieu, and doubtless was in great
requisition when the priory was inhabited by its fifty brethren.
Some years ago, when S. Julien was used as the chapel of the Hôtel-
Dieu, it formed a picturesque object from the hospital garden, and no doubt
was often a great comfort to some of the patients, who found within its
walls a peaceful spot where they could be alone, and out of turmoil of sick
wards and their accompaniments. But when the old hospital was pulled
down, the church's very existence was threatened, and for some years it
seemed as if Paris would have one more vandalism to lament. Happily its
demolition was prevented, and it has been restored to God's service, for the
use of members of the Greek branch of the Church.
Many were the Julians canonized by the Early Church, and it is difficult
to say to which saint this edifice was dedicated, although the fact of the
relics of S. Julien de Brioude, who was martyred in 304, having been placed
upon the left-hand side of the High Altar, seems to point to him as the
patron. S. Julien was born at Vienne in Dauphiné about 270, and became a
distinguished soldier in the Roman army; but having embraced Christianity,
he was beheaded during the reign of Diocletian in 304, at Brioude in
Auvergne, where he had taken refuge from his persecutors. There his
remains were discovered by S. Germain d'Auxerre in 431, and forthwith the

town became celebrated for the many cures
performed at its miraculous well. "Est enim ad hunc
fontem virtus eximia," said S. Grégoire of Tours; and
Sidonius Apollinaris, who died in 489, also bears
witness to the Saint's burial place in a letter to a
friend who was travelling in Auvergne: "Hic te
suscipiet benigna Brivas Sancti quae fovet ossa
Juliani." S. Grégoire, in his life of the Saint, gave a
list of the churches dedicated to his memory; and
although S. Julien le Pauvre is not enumerated, it
would seem that it must have been one of them, as he
speaks of lodging in a house attached to the little
INTERIOR OF SAINT-
basilica, when he came to Paris, and called it S.
JULIEN.
Julien the Martyr: "His diebus Parisius adveneram et
ad Basilicam Beati Juliani martyris metam
habebam."

CHAPEL OF THE SOUTH AISLE.

Another S. Julien was a confessor, and first bishop of Mans. He was a
Roman by birth, and upon being consecrated, was sent by Pope Clement to
convert the Cenomans. He arrived at Suindinum (Le Mans) while the town

was besieged and deprived of water. Entering it, he caused water to spring
from the ground, and henceforth the well was called Sanct-nomius, or
fountain of S. Julien. The bishop worked in his diocese over 40 years, and
then retired to S. Marceau, where he died in 117, his decease being revealed
in a vision to his first convert, a Gaul, surnamed Le Défenseur, who caused
the Saint's body to be carried back to Le Mans, and buried with great pomp
at Notre-Dame du Pré. In 840 it was translated to the cathedral, where many
miracles were wrought. S. Julien is generally represented destroying a
dragon, symbolizing paganism, or accompanied by a young girl carrying a
pitcher of water, an allegory of the miraculous well. This connection of
different Saints of the same name with wells is curious, and makes it
difficult to decide the patronage of S. Julien le Pauvre; for there also are
two wells, one the so-called "miraculous," just outside the eastern apse of
the church, and another outside one of the windows of the 17th century
façade. If, as many authorities think, the old 13th century west front
occupied a space in advance of the present one, this well may have been
originally inside the church, an arrangement frequently adopted by
Mediæval architects, and still existing in some of our old churches. There is
one of exquisite beauty in the south aisle of Regensburg Cathedral, and at
Coutances there are two in the transepts. S. Germain des Prés also had its
miraculous well, but it is now closed up. There is yet another one at the
corner of Rues S. Jacques and S. Séverin, which formerly bore the name of
Julien, but is now re-christened S. Séverin. It was re-constructed in the 17th
century and bore the following inscription by the poet Santeuil:
DUM SCANDUNT JUGA MONTIS ANHELO PECTORE NYMPHÆ,
HIC UNA E SOCIIS VALLIS AMORE SEDET.

Which is prettily rendered by d'Amaury Duval: "Tandis que les
nymphes, haletantes, montent vers le sommet de la montagne, l'une d'elles,
éprise de la beauté du vallon, y fixe sa demeure."
The third saint who disputes the patronage of this particular church is S.
Julian Hospitator, who watches over travellers, ferrymen, boatmen and
travelling minstrels. He was a nobleman much given to the chase, and one
day, while pursuing a deer, the frightened creature turned round, and cried
out, "Thou followest me, thou who wilt one day kill thy father and mother."
[93] Thereupon Julian rushed away to a far country, where he was made a
knight, and much honoured by the king. But his parents, grieved at his loss,

set off to try and find him, and coming to his castle, they made themselves
known to his wife, who put them in their son's chamber, and left them for
the night. In the morning she went to early mass to give thanks for this great
mercy, and during her absence, Julian, finding the old people in his room,
and not recognizing them in the dim light of dawn, turned upon them and
slew them, as it seems, somewhat hastily. Then Julian resolved to depart
and devote himself to some good work; but his wife would not let him go
alone, so they journeyed until they came to a great river, where many
people were drowned in trying to ford it, and there they set up a hermitage
and a hospital, and a ferry boat for travellers free of charge. One day, when
a leper presented himself, Julian not only ferried him over, but carried him
in his arms to his own bed, and tended him with the aid of his good wife.
And in the morning the leper arose, transformed, and saying, "Julian, the
Lord hath sent me to thee; thy penitence is accepted, and thy rest and that of
thy wife is near at hand," vanished out of their sight. And shortly after, both
Julian and his wife fell asleep.[94] The Cathedral of Rouen possesses a
window presented by the company of bateliers-pêcheurs in the 14th
century, upon which this legend of the ferry is represented.

BAS-RELIEF OF THE FERRY.

There can be little doubt that the church was originally dedicated to
Julian the Martyr, as recorded by Grégoire de Tours, and that later the culte
of the other two Julians was added; particularly as we find upon one of the
houses of the Rue Galande, which abuts upon one side of the church, a
curious 13th century bas-relief of this very legend of the ferry. S. Julian and
his wife are rowing the boat, apparently in opposite directions, and standing
up is the passenger, no other than Our Lord Himself, as we see from the

cruciform nimbus. Is it not probable that at some time, when repairs were
going on, this bas-relief was removed from the church, and does not the
situation of S. Julien le Pauvre, or des pauvres, close to a river and a fish-
market, seem to be further proof that the Hospitator was one of the later
patrons of the church? There are said to be nearly sixty[95] saints of this
name, and as a proof of their popularity in France, we find no less than one
hundred and sixty-two villages called after them. In Spain they were still
more popular. Saint-Julien le Ménétrier, or des Ménétriers, was a hospital
founded in 1330 by Jacques Grare and Huet le Lorrain, for fiddlers,
jugglers, and acrobats. It was situated near the Rue S. Martin. One of the
attributes of S. Julian Hospitator is a mask. He is thus seen on some of the
windows at the cathedrals of Chartres and Rouen, the latter of the 14th
century. His name also seems to have had virtue in it as an expletive, for in
the Chronique des Ducs de Normendie et des Rois d'Engletierre the
following exclamation occurs: "'Par Saint Julian!' dist Hubiers Gautiers li
bons archevêsque de Chantorbire (Canterbury)."
S. Julien was also invoked by travellers:

(Saint Ylaire) saint Juliens
Qui héberge les Crestiens,

was a rhyme of the Moustiers de Paris, written in 1270; and a document of
1325 upon the Churches and Monasteries of Paris thus confirms the
usefulness of S. Julien-le-Pauvre:

Or m'en iray outre le pont
Pour des autres moustiers trouver
Que l'on ne puisse réprouver,
Quar s'en mon dit faille de rien,
Premiers trouverez saint Julien
Le Povre, et bien ai regardé
Que maint compagnon a gardé
De mort, ce n'est pas mesprison
Et d'estre en vilainne prison;
Il les héberge et si les tence
De héberger a la poissance.

The early history of S. Julien is similar to that of all the other churches
of Paris. Destroyed in 886 by the Normans,[96] it fell into lay hands, but was
rebuilt in the 12th century, and became the property of Etienne de Vitry and
Hugues de Monteler, who, in consequence of a vow made during sickness
in the Holy Land, gave it over to the monks of Longport, near Monthéry,
who rebuilt the church and erected a priory for fifty brothers.
The 13th and 14th centuries were periods of great intellectual activity.
Students flocked to Paris from all parts of Europe, and the left bank of the
Seine became a colony of colleges. According to Victor Hugo, there were
no less than forty-two in 1465.[97] S. Julian was in the midst of these
schools, and in the streets surrounding it were dwellings for the students of
the various nationalities. The little Rue du Fouarre takes its name from
fourrage, the straw upon which the students sat during the lectures; and so
large was the attendance in 1535, that the authorities were obliged to erect
two gates to prevent the circulation of carriages during the lessons. Brunetto
Latini, Dante Alighieri, Petrarca, and Rabelais, were among the students of
the Rue du Fouarre; the three last referring to it in their writings. Dante,
especially, mentions his old master Sigier de Brabant in his Divinia
Commedia:

Essa la luce eterna de Sigieri
Che, leggendo nel vico degli Strami,
Sillogizo' invidiosi veri. (Il Paradiso, canto x.)

The poet also bears witness to the violent discussions which took place
in the street, and adds that he found comfort in going to S. Julien to say his
prayers. Ambroise-Firmin Didot speaks of Dante living in the Rue du
Fouarre, in vico stramineo; and Mézières adds his testimony: "Il est allé
chercher la science à Bologne et entendre à Paris, dans la Rue du Fouarre,
de la bouche de Sigier, ces leçons hardies qui effrayaient ces
contemporains."
The colleges and dwelling-houses of the students, together with the
buildings of the priory, formed a small town. In an old plan of the church,
and its dependencies in the precincts, during the 14th century, we find a
number of most curious names attached to the houses: Maison d'Angleterre,
de la Hure, de Picardie, de Normandie, de l'Ymaige Notre-Dame, du Paon,
de l'Escu de France, de la Nef[98] d'Argent, du Sabot, du Soufflet vert, du

Papegaut, des Carneaulx, des Deux Cygnes, des Lyons, de la Heuze, des
Trois Boittes, des Quatre filz Hémon, de la Corne de Daim, du Lièvre
cornu, de la Cuiller, des Trois Canettes, du Poing d'or, de la Main d'argent,
du Turbot, les Étuves de la Queue du Reynard, l'Escouvette d'or, and la
ruelle du Trou-Punais; la maison des Sept-Arts, à la nation d'Angleterre; les
Escolles du Cheval Rouge à la nation de Picardie, et la maison de la Corne
de Cerf; these are only a few of the names. Many of the houses were
demolished quite recently to make way for the Rue Monge. Much as I love
Paris and admire it, I sometimes wish a new street were not obliged to
proceed upon its way in a perfectly straight line, thereby destroying all that
comes in its path. A remnant of the houses attached to S. Julien may be seen
in the Rue Galande, No. 42, maison de la Heuze et de Saint-Julien—the
bas-relief of the old portal, mentioned above.
For several centuries the old church was the seat of the general
assemblies of the University; and by a decree of Philippe le Bel, the Provost
of Paris was obliged to go there every two years, to take an oath to observe
the privileges of the students, who were under his jurisdiction. He bore the
title of Conservateur de l'Université with much pride; but he must have had
a troublous life, for the students were always quarrelling with the citizens;
and in the reign of Charles VI., the then Provost, Hugues Aubriot, rebuilt
the Petit-Châtelet (which was close to S. Julien), in order to defend the city
against the nocturnal incursions of the scholars. To such a pass had matters
come in 1601, that the Parliament issued the following decree: "La court a
faict inhibitions et défences aux dicts escolliers porter espées et dagues sur
le quay de la Tournelle ny commettre aucune insolence." There were several
classes of students, Boursiers and Pensionnaires (Convicteurs ou
Portionnistes) living with the masters; Caméristes, rich young men who
lived without control and were only provided with teaching and firing;
Externes libres, or Martinets, troublesome students who gained their name
because they rarely appeared before the Principal except for punishment
with the rod or martinet; and the Galoches, who lived out of college
(externes), and were named after the clogs (patins or galoches) with great
nails which they wore to keep their feet dry in traversing the muddy or
snowy streets. These were often older men whose presence at lectures
flattered the professors. Up to the 16th century, S. Julien was also the scene
of the election of the Rector of the Faculty of Arts, Rector Magnificus de
l'Alma Parens; and upon these occasions, notably in 1524, the students

seemed to have amused themselves, after their kind, by breaking doors and
windows, wrenching knockers, and such like playful imbecilities. The next
year Parliament decreed that the elections should take place elsewhere; the
new localities chosen being, first the Mathurins, and then the College Louis
le Grand.
The University of Paris was established in 1200, but the word was not
commonly used until the time of S. Louis. In the time of Philippe Auguste
there were three schools in Paris, at Notre-Dame, and at the abbeys of S.
Victor and S. Geneviève. Naturally to keep so many students in order was
no easy task, and we can easily understand that upon every excuse, every
small discontent of the citizens, the scholars were only too glad to help in
the scrimmage. They were at first classified in nations, or Société de
Maîtres; thus in 1169 we read of la nation de France, surnamed Honoranda;
la nation de Picardie, Fidellissima; la nation Normande, Veneranda; and la
nation d'Angleterre, Constantissima. In the "town and gown" rows between
students and citizens, the members of the University were only amenable to
the Provost of Paris, who gloried in the title of Conservateur de
l'Université; and when this gentleman found the gownsmen in the wrong,
the University suspended its lectures.
But S. Julien was not simply the centre of the University; it was also the
head-quarters of many guilds and corporations, such as the Confraternity of
Notre-Dame-des-Vertus, the Paper-makers, the Ironfounders, and Roof-
tilers.
Even before the Revolution, church property was not entirely exempt
from taxation. The abbeys and other ecclesiastical communities possessed
enormous privileges; but they were not enjoyed without certain obligations,
as witness requisitions from the sovereigns to furnish supplies to carry on
their little warlike pastimes. Sometimes the amount was sent in money, but
more often in kind; a few silver saints, some golden shrines, and so on. S.
Julien possessed a good revenue in the old days, but in the 16th century the
priory had begun to decline in position and in wealth. The colleges moved
up the "mountain" of S. Geneviève; teachers and scholars deserted the old
quarters; the houses, which had been the greatest source of revenue, had
begun to fall into decay; and the priors became indifferent to their business
affairs, and were often absentees. At last things became so bad that, in 1643,
a prior named E. Thiboust had to be deposed, and replaced, nominally by
Pierre de la Valette, practically by Pierre Méliand, who accused his

predecessor "d'avoir laissé dépérir l'église depuis l'an 1612 qu'il était entré
en jouissance du prieuré. Et pendant cette jouissance, qui a duré 18 ans, le
sieur Thiboust a laissé tomber une grande partie de l'église en ruine." Not
only did prior Thiboust allow the buildings to fall into decay, but he must
have kept back part of the revenues; for the next step was a petition to the
King's procureur-général to beg him to oblige Thiboust to pay 16,500
livres, the repairs requisite having been estimated at that sum by the King's
judges Villedo and Monnard. But notwithstanding this, Thiboust took upon
himself to grant a lease to Nicolas Brossier and Edme Porrion for a certain
stone quarry situated at Croix Faubin; and although the King confirmed
Méliand in the priory, the audacious Thiboust pleaded youth at the time of
his appointment, and subsequently shuffled out of payment of the whole
sum.
The church was in a parlous state when prior
Méliand began his repairs. The roof was in a
miserable condition, with a temporary covering
over the altar to keep out the rain and the door was
almost in the last state of decay; so Messire Claude
Menardeau was called in (he was a councillor of
the King's, and a commissaire), and he decided
"que des réparations seraient faites au plus tôt,
d'autant que l'églize despérit journellement par la
pluye et autres injures du temps, qui y tombent,
comme en plaine campagne." Unfortunately the
master mason, Bernard Roche, to whom the work
was given, began by destroying the Gothic west THE SANCTUARY.

front and portal, to make room for lodgings for the
ecclesiastics. Then we read of plasterings, and a new front with pediment
and Ionic columns, and all the Classicisms so much beloved in the 17th and
18th centuries.
In 1655 the priory and its possessions were made over to the Hôtel-Dieu;
and thenceforth, until the demolition of the old building a few years ago, it
was used as the hospital chapel. But previous to this, Cardinal Mazarin had
turned over an annual payment of 2,500 livres to the Hôtel-Dieu from the
revenue of his abbey of Saint-Étienne at Caen, and in his capacity of abbot
in chief of the order of Cluny, he made a bargain which put an end to the
independence of S. Julien. The prior was to resign, and all the revenues of

the convent were to go to the establishment of a convalescent hospital; the
Hôtel-Dieu undertaking, in return, to carry on Divine service in the church,
and to fulfil the conditions of the different foundations belonging to it. At
this time, 1660, the property of S. Julien consisted of thirty-eight houses
and gardens in the neighbouring streets, besides certain lands in the
Faubourg S. Jacques, at Montmartre, at Vitry, Villeneuve and Versailles,
together with revenues in kind—corn and fodder, and donations made at
burials; altogether amounting to about 2,400 livres.
It appears that the misfortunes of S. Julien were not over when it lost its
independence, for Louis Roche required payment for his various
"improvements," and so the poor church had to sell its plate. Nor could
services be held there without the permission of the archbishop, as the curé
of S. Séverin seems to have objected: "Défense lui (the chaplain of S.
Julien) est faite de célébrer des messes hautes, de faire l'eau bénite, la
bénédiction du pain, de reçevoir offrande, faire quête, chanter l'office et le
salut, ni même exposer le Saint-Sacrament en ladite église, sans la
permission de Son Eminence."
In 1705 an inventory of the furniture, vestments, and plate was taken,
and a very poor collection it seems to have been; indeed, at that time, even
the hospital revenues were only about a sixth of the expenses. The
inhabitants of Paris had largely increased, and famines and wars had
brought many of them to the Hôtel-Dieu; so full was it that seven or eight
patients were packed into one bed, which, even considering the width of an
18th-century sleeping place, must have been rather unpleasant crowding.

EXTERIOR OF SAINT-JULIEN.

At the Revolution, the revenues passed over to the State, and God's
House was converted into the "House of Humanity." The old church
became a salt warehouse, the asile was pulled down, and it was only in
1826 that S. Julien was restored to its right use.
The first time I visited the church was before the Franco-German war,
when I was taken over the hospital by one of the Augustinian sisters. Two
or three patients were there pouring out their sorrows, or giving thanks for
mercies received. Outside, in the garden, were a few more sitting about
among the trees, making a charming picture, such as Fred Walker would
have delighted in. All this is now changed, and the sisters are gone with the
old hospital buildings and the quaint covered bridge—a second Ponte
Vecchio. Whether the poor have gained anything by being nursed by lay-
women instead of religious, we cannot say; but no one will deny that the
sisters were devoted to their work—kindly, patient, sweet-tempered, of the
same spirit as when, in the old time, they not only nursed, but "au plus fort
de l'hiver," they broke the ice of the river, "qui passe au milieu de cet
hôpital, et y entrer jusqu'à la moitié du corps pour laver les linges." It was in
S. Julien that the White Sisters took the veil, and devoted themselves
specially to the service of God and the care of His poor.
The Miraculous Well and some of the foundations are all that remain of
the first Carlovingian church; the arcades of the nave and some of the
columns date back to the commencement of the 12th century, but the rest of
the building belongs to the end of that period. The tower, like the portal,
was improved away by Master Bernard Roche, and the old bell has at
present to content itself with a little pointed roof as a covering. Its
inscription is dated, and is in French:
✠
J. H. S.

MARIE SUIS NOMMÉE PAR M. JEAN BOURLON, CONSEILLER DU ROY
ET GREFFIER EN SA CHAMBRE DES COMPTES, ET PAR DAME MARIE
PAJOT, FEMME DE M. ALEXANDRE REBOURS, CONSEILLER DU ROY
EN SON CONSEIL D'ÉTAT ET PRIVÉ, ET PRÉSIDENT DE LA COUR DES
E
AYDES DE PARIS ET V DE BARTHÉLEMY TOUSSAINCT MOUSSIER
GOUVERNEUR DE L'ÉGLISE DE CÉANS DELAUNAY.
1640.

The plan of the church was originally a nave and aisles of six bays, each
terminating in an apse, but in 1675 two bays were demolished with the
entire west end, to make room for a forecourt. (It is said that, of all the
churches of Paris, the two which stand most truly East and West are Notre-
Dame and S. Julien.) Although parts of the interior have suffered from
"improvements" and neglect, the two bays of the choir and the apsidal
terminations have lost nothing of their original beauty. The single-shaft
pillars, recalling upon a small scale those of Notre-Dame, the clustered
columns which support the vault, and the little columns of the windows; the
capitals, the bosses, and the mouldings are all in the best style of the end of
the 12th century. The sculpture of the details is treated with the greatest
care, and the ornamentation of the capitals (about one hundred and fifty in
all) has all the variety of foliage and imagery so dear to the Mediæval
artists. The most curious example is on the south side of the choir.
Springing from a mass of foliage are four figures of birds with female
heads, bodies of feathers, outspread wings, and clawed feet. Some of the
foliage is the acanthus, but still more represents the water plants which
probably, in those early days, grew in the Seine; for it must be remembered
that the sculptors of the Middle Ages were in the habit of taking their
inspiration from the types of Nature which surrounded them. It is curious
that one of the capitals in Notre-Dame, in the same position (the south side
of the choir) is almost identical with the one just described. On the right
side of the altar is the piscina, which is said to communicate with the
Miraculous Well; the water having been held in great veneration, people
came to fetch it from far and near.
The church contains no monuments of any artistic value. A curious bas-
relief with a very long inscription was erected to the memory of Honorable
et sage Maistre Henry Rousseau, jadis avocat en Parlement, seigneur de
Chaillaut (Chaillot) ... lequel trépassa l'an 1445 le IXe jour de novembre.
Dieu en ait l'âme. Amen. The defunct left money to endow masses, and also
for the Hôtel-Dieu. He is represented enveloped in a winding-sheet,
addressing a prayer to our Lord, which is written upon a streamer. The
words in italics are lost:
Peccavi super numer [um arene maris et multiplicata sunt peccata mea] non sum
Dignus videre altidinem [Celi pre multitudine iniquitatis mee q̄ m̄ irrita] ram tuam.
Et malum coram te feci q̄ m̄ ini [q̄ ūitāt̄ ē mea ego cognosco et] delictum meum
Coram me est semper. Tibi soli pecca [vi ideo deprecor] majestatem tuam
Ut tu deleas iniquitatem meam miserere mei [secundum magn̄ a misericordia] tuam.

The epitaph is in Gothic letters, and in
an excellent state of preservation. Above
the bordering we read:
Cy devant gist honorable homme et sage maîstre Henry
Rousseau,
Jadis advocat en Parlement, seigneur de Chaillaut et de

Within the framing:
Compans en partie, lequel dès son vivant a fondé en cest
hostel trois messes
Par chascune sepmaine qui sont et doivent estre dites et
célébrées à l'autel et
Chapelle de Mons. S. Loys, jadis Roy de France, située et
assise au milieu de cest
Ostel, aux jour de Mercredi, Vendredi et Dimenche. Cest
assavoir au mercredi
De Requiem, au vendredi de la Croix et au dimenche de la Solennité du jour, où
A la voulenté du célébrant, et en la fin de chascune messe qui ne serait ditte
De Requiem, le célébrant est tenu de faire mémoire des Trespassez et pour ce
Faire a fondé le dit Deffunct et donné à cest hostel XII livres de Rentes que il ou ses hoirs
Doivent faire admortir, situées et assises sur une maison et estuves assises à Paris
Devant le Palais, à l'image Saint Michel, et, pour avoir la sépulture en cette chapelle

Below the border:
a donné la somme de cent francs que aussi en son vivant il a payiez en six Livres Parisis de Rente
assises sur plusieurs maisons à Paris declaires ès, Lettres sur ce faictes, tout pour le salut de son âme
et des âmes de ses père et mère, parents et amis, lequel trépassa l'an 1445 te IXe jour de novembre.
Dieu en ait l'âme. Amen.

The bas-relief was originally coloured, and at the corners of the border
were armorial bearings. The slab was formerly in the church of S. Blaise
and S. Louis, which was destroyed in 1765, and which belonged to S.
Julien, only having been separated from it by a narrow passage. It is
supposed to have been either a refectory or a private chapel. In 1476 the
masons and carpenters of Paris made it the seat of their guild, and built the
portal in the Rue Galande; in 1684 it was reconstructed.
Another monument, or rather statue, by Bosio, of Antoine de Montyon,
was removed from the old Hôtel Dieu when it was pulled down, and placed
over the last burial-place of the philanthropist. Originally interred at
Vaugirard, M. de Montyon's body was afterwards placed under the peristyle
of the hospital, where it remained until the demolition. M. de Montyon is
principally known by his prix de vertu given annually by the Immortals of

the Institut. But he left other legacies for prizes: to whomsoever should
discover the means of rendering certain industries less unhealthy; to a poor
French subject who should write a book the most conducive to morals; for
the advancement of medical science or surgery; also for the poor who
require aid on leaving the Paris hospitals. All the prizes are distributed by
the Academy, and the whole sum left amounted to some seven millions of
francs, a considerable fortune seventy years ago (1820) when M. de
Montyon died. The principal prize, pour l'action la plus vertueuse,
generally falls to the lot of some obscure person, who has passed years of
self-sacrificing devotion to the old, the sick, or the poor; virtuous actions, in
M. de Montyon's opinion, being those unrecorded works of love and charity
which are done in simple homes, without excitement or glamour; works
which become great because of their very monotony and which prove the
patience and unselfishness of the true Christian.
À LA MEMOIRE
D'ANTOINE J. B. ROBERT AUGET DE MONTYON,
BARON DE MONTYON,
CONSEILLER D'ÉTAT,
DONT L'INÉPUISABLE BIENFAISANCE
ET L'INGÉNIEUSE CHARITÉ
ONT ASSURÉ
APRÈS SA MORT, COMME DURANT SA VIE,
DES ENCOURAGEMENTS AUX SCIENCES,
DES RÉCOMPENSES AUX ACTIONS VERTUEUSES,
DES SOULAGEMENTS À TOUTES LES MISÈRES HUMAINES.
NÉ LE 23 DEC. 1733.—MORT LE 29 DEC. 1820.
ICI REPOSE SA DÉPOUILLE MORTELLE
TRANSPORTÉE DE LA COMMUNE DEMEURE DES MORTS
À L'ENTRÉE DE L'ASILE DES PAUVRES, SOUFFRANTS ET SECOURUS,
COMME À SA PLACE LÉGITIME,
PAR LA PIEUSE RECONNAISSANCE.
DE L'AUTORITÉ MUNICIPALE ET DE L'ADMINISTRATION DES HOSPICES
AUXQUELLES SE SONT ASSOCIÉES
L'ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE ET L'ACADÉMIE DES SCIENCES,
XXVI MAI M.D.CCC.XXXVIII.
M. de Montyon was a remarkable man, in that he refused the exalted
office of Keeper of the Seals offered him by Louis XVI., for fear of his

moral character deteriorating: "Dites à Sa Majesté que je suis confus de ses
bontés. Si je fais un peu de bien dans la place que j'occupe, c'est que je ne
suis pas en évidence. En acceptant celle que l'on me propose, je serais
exposé à toutes les intrigues, à toutes les cabales de l'envie; je n'aurais peut-
être ni le talent ni la force nécessaires pour y résister; dans le doute, je dois
m'abstenir."

SAINT-LAURENT.
There is nothing in the present somewhat spick-and-span church to recall
its former state in the 6th century. The patron of Nürnberg, of the Escorial,
and of Genoa; the young martyr, who from the earliest beginnings of
Christian art has been one of its most popular subjects; the saintly deacon,
who, as painted by Fra Angelico, charms us by his expression of sweet
sanctity, and who, when depicted by the disciples of horrors, makes us
shudder and close our eyes—S. Laurence, the deacon, has always been a
favourite, and many are the churches dedicated to him. He was a native of
Osca or Huesca, in Aragon, and acted as deacon (although a priest) to
Sixtus II., bishop of Rome, in the middle of the 3rd century. He had the care
of all the precious vessels of the church, and of the money. Times were bad,
and Sixtus was denounced as a Christian; then Laurence, following the
example of S. Stephen, petitioned the good bishop to allow him to share the
captivity. Before Sixtus died he ordered Laurence to distribute all the
money and treasure amongst the poor, and predicted his disciple's
martyrdom as worse than his own. Laurence went about the city and
distributed the alms, which, when the tyrant heard thereof, caused him so
much anger that he thrust the deacon into prison, where he converted his
gaoler. But the Prefect ordered him to give up his treasure. Then Laurence
gathered together the poor and the sick, and presented them to the Prefect;
and he being enraged, concocted a new and terrible torture. He made a sort
of gridiron bed, upon which the young deacon was laid, and fire being
placed underneath, the victim was roasted to death. "Seest thou not, O thou
foolish man, being roasted on one side, thou shouldst turn me over, that the
other be well cooked," are the words recorded to prove his steadfastness.
Then he lifted his eyes to Heaven, and said, "I thank Thee, O my God and
Saviour, that I have been found worthy to enter into Thy blessedness"; and
so he passed away into bliss, and was buried in the Via Tiburtina.

SAINT-LAURENT.

Grégoire de Tours speaks of a monastery of S. Laurence in Paris; and S.
Domnole, bishop of Le Mans, who died in 581, had been previously its
abbot. This abbey has long since disappeared, and been lost to memory; and
the parish, which since the 13th century has taken its place, became a
dependency of the priory of S. Martin. The façade of the present building is
no older than 1622; the nave and transept were erected in the 16th, the choir
and apse in the 15th century. A niche containing a statue of S. John Baptist
is commendable, and some of the details of corbels, gargoyles, cornices,
and other exterior decoration are quaint and often grotesque: little beasties
jumping about in foliage; small children in fool's caps tumbling about in
grotesque attitudes; one little imp being whipped by the schoolmaster;
Angels with animal continuations; a hunter shooting arrows at a
salamander, and divers other monstrosities.
The interior is cold and uninteresting, the bosses being the best part of
the decoration. They are of all manner of devices: S. Nicholas blessing his
children; crowns, garlands, Angels' heads; foliage and draperies, and a mass

of ornament and little personages—the Virgin and Child, S. John Baptist
with his cross, S. Laurence and his gridiron, the scenes from the Passion,
and many other conceits.
The apse has been disfigured, after the manner of S. Séverin and S.
Germain l'Auxerrois, by Corinthian columns, pilasters, monograms, and
trophies—the work of Lepautre. The jubé has gone, and divers other Gothic
"excrescences," and the church remains a grand example of the last century
barbarism. Well has Victor Hugo described those gentlemen, so-called
artists, who fell down and worshipped Fashion, as set by its 18th century
votaries: "Les modes ont fait plus de mal que les révolutions. Elles ont
tranché dans le vif, elles ont attaqué la charpente osseuse de l'art; elles ont
coupé, taillé, désorganisé l'édifice, dans la forme comme dans le symbole,
dans sa logique comme dans sa beauté. Et puis, elles ont refait; prétention
que n'avaient eue, du moins, ni le temps, ni les révolutions. Elles ont
effrontément ajusté, de par le bon goût, sur les blessures de l'architecture
Gothique leurs misérables colifichets d'un jour, leurs rubans de marbre,
leurs pompons de métal: véritable lèpre d'oves, de volutes, d'entournements,
de draperies, de guirlandes, de franges, de flammes, de pierre, de nuages, de
bronze, d'amours replets, de chérubins bouffis, qui commence à dévorer la
face de l'art dans l'oratoire de Catherine de Médicis, et le fait expirer, deux
siècles après, tourmenté et grimaçant, dans le boudoir de la Dubarry."

SAINT-LEU-SAINT-GILLES.
About the year 600, the town of Sens was besieged by Clotaire's general,
Blidebodes, and grievous was the pain and suffering to which the
inhabitants were subjected. But the bishop, Lupus,[99] Leu, or Loup was a
holy man, and while the warriors fought he passed his time in prayer. Then
he bethought him of a little stratagem. Ostensibly for the object of
collecting the citizens for prayer, he set to, and vigorously pulled the church
bell. The crowd rushed from all parts of the town, and following the
example of their spiritual father, they threw themselves on their knees.
Presently came the news that the siege was raised; at the sound of the bell,
the enemy had fled precipitately. This, all but miracle, may be accounted for
by the fact that bells were first introduced into France about this time (615);
and if Clotaire's soldiers, coming from the north and west, had never heard
any before, they may have felt much the same sort of terror as was said to
have been instilled into the natives during the Ashantee war by the Scottish
bagpipes.
Considering that the church has two patrons, it ought surely to be in
some way remarkable; but the fact is, it is a very insignificant little
building, and devoid of beauty of any kind. It formerly belonged to the
Abbey of S. Magloire from which it was separated by only a small space of
ground; the abbey having been situated in the Rue S. Denis, and the church
in what is now the Boulevard Sebastopol. The latter must have been built in
the 13th century, as the abbé Lebeuf found a notice in the archives of S.
Magloire to the effect that some little bells had been placed in S. Leu. The
church has been so repaired, so cut about (the east end was lopped off when
the new boulevard was pierced); it has been so mutilated and travestied, that
little remains of the old building. Some of the bosses are elegantly and
curiously carved. We see S. Giles and his hind, and S. Loup in episcopal
vestments; the 17th century marble bas-reliefs illustrating the Passion;
quaint emaciated bodies and large heads are the characteristics of the
crowd.
In one of the chapels, the first on the south, is a curious picture
commemorating a terrible event, which led to a miracle. The inscription
reads thus:

CETTE IMAGE A ESTÉ FAITE L'AN 1772
EN L'HONNEUR DU SIGNALE MIRACLE ARRIVÉ À PARIS À LA RUE AUX OURS
PAROISSE DE ST. LEU ST. GILLES LE 3ME JUILLET L'AN 1415 EN MEMOIRE DE
QUOY.
LES BOURGEOIS DE LA DITE RUE TOUS LES ANS À PARCIL JOUR BRULENT
L'EFIGIE
DU MALFAICTEUR QUI MALHEUREUSEMENT FRAPPA L'IMAGE DE LA SAINCT
VIRGE DE LA QUELLE SORTIT DU SANG ET FUT PUNI PAR ARREST DE LA
COUR DE PARLEMENT COME IL EST REPRÉSENTÉ CY DESSOUS.
The picture represents the Virgin and Child sitting under an elegant
baldachino, the curtains of which are borne by Angels, who are holding, at
the same time, a crown over the head of the holy mother. The following
description by Père Du Breul[100] gives the story of the miracle:
"Le troisième du mois de juillet 1418, veille de sainct Martin,[101]
Bouillant, un soldat ou goujat sortant d'une taverne qui estoit dès lors en la
rue aux Ours, désespéré d'avoir perdu tout son argent et ses habits à jouer,
jurant et blasphémant, frappa furieusement d'un couteau une image de la
Vierge Marie qui estoit au coin de ladite rue. Laquelle image rendit du sang
en abondance; de quoy estant advertie la justice, il fut mené par devant
l'image, fut frappé d'escourgées depuis six heures du matin jusques au soir,
tant que les entrailles luy sortoient, et eut la langue percée d'un fer chaud.
Au mesme lieu, tous les ans et à tel jour, on fait un feu pour souvenance de
ce miracle.... Audit lieu se voit encores une image de Nostre Dame
enfermée d'un treillis, auprès de laquelle, contre la parvy, le jour que ce
faict ledit feu, l'on attache une tapisserie où est représenté l'histoire susdite."
Horrors of this kind were common enough in the 14th and 15th
centuries; indeed, when we think of Damiens' tortures, even the 18th
century was no more humane or decent. In the account of the Black Death
in 1348, when 500 persons were buried daily, and Jews were tortured and
burnt for poisoning the people (as the populace affirmed), an order of
Philippe IV. was issued that all blasphemers should have their lips or
tongues cut off, as a sanitary measure to dispel the plague. It is curious that
such doings should be commemorated in a church dedicated to S. Giles,
that gentle hermit who screened the wounded hind from its pursuers, and
gave an eternal reproof to the votaries of the hunt. One can imagine what
the hermit-Saint would have thought of thus torturing a man, being not only
the protector of hunted animals and woodlands, but also of those specimens
of human misery, the lepers. Yet for many years the hideous cruelty
described above was celebrated as a sort of Guy Fawkes festival, with

fireworks, and mannikins of gigantic size, which were marched about the
neighbourhood to the terror of all the youthful inhabitants.

SAINT-LOUIS D'ANTIN.
Little need be said of the church which formerly belonged to the
Capuchins who were transferred from the Faubourg S. Jacques to the new
quarter of the Rue d'Antin in 1783. The church was built by Brongniard, but
is of no importance whatever. It now forms a part of the Lycée for those
connected therewith who do not find science and literature all that is
requisite to their souls' weal.

SAINT LOUIS EN L'ILE.
This church stands upon the little island of the same name, and was
commenced by Louis Levau in 1664; Gabriel Leduc continued the work,
and Jacques Doucet finished it in 1726. Men are said to be happy if they are
minus a history. Not so churches; without it they are anything but
interesting. And so we will pass on from the second S. Louis, just noting
some of the modern woodwork as respectable.

SAINT-LOUIS DES INVALIDES.
Built by Libéral Bruant from 1671 to 1679, this church has a certain
grandeur, and could the dome be seen from it by taking away the
intervening partition of ugly painted glass, it would be very imposing. The
latter, the burial-place of Napoleon and of some of his generals, contains
also monuments and statues of other military heroes. This part, the cupola
(or Tombeau as it is generally termed), was built by Jules Hardouin
Mansard, and dedicated by the Cardinal de Noailles in 1706. The exterior is
very fine, and, with its gilding, forms a beautiful landmark for all parts of
the city and suburbs. The interior, if somewhat pompous, and over addicted
to yellow glass, is nevertheless very grand; and the general effect of the
magnificent baldachino over the altar (just such an arrangement as was
wanted in S. Paul's), and the subdued light, make a decidedly striking coup
d'œil.

LE TOMBEAU DE NAPOLÉON.

The statues of Charlemagne and of S. Louis are by Coyzevox and
Nicolas Coustou; the cupola was painted by Charles de Lafosse and by
Jouvenet. The statue of Turenne, which has at last found a resting-place,

after having been shunted about since its departure from S. Denis, is the
work of Tuby and Marsy. In the centre, under the beautiful dome, is
Napoleon's tomb, sunk some feet below the surface.
In the chapel proper are rows of flags of all nations suspended from each
side of the roof; but beyond these there is little that is picturesque except
during the military mass on Sunday morning. Then, when the pensioners
line the aisle, bearing their swords and halberds; when the drums beat at the
Elevation, and the old men present arms, the effect is both grand and
intensely pathetic. Formerly the military band played throughout the
offices; now the duty is done by the organ.

LA SAINTE-MADELEINE.
If good materials and excellent workmanship can make a building
interesting, assuredly the Madeleine ought to be so. Commenced in 1764 as
a church, its fate was somewhat similar to that of S. Geneviève, for, in
1806, Napoleon, then busy in Posen, sent his orders that it should be
finished as a Temple of Glory. The pediment was to bear the following
inscription:—"L'empereur Napoléon aux soldats de la grande armée;" and
the 5th article of the decree was thus composed: "Tous les ans, aux
anniversaires des batailles d'Austerlitz et d'Iéna, le monument sera illuminé,
et il y sera donné un concert précédé d'un discours sur les vertus necessaires
au soldat, et d'un éloge de ceux qui périrent sur le champ de bataille dans
ces journées memorables.... Dans les discours et odes, il est expressément
défendu de faire mention de l'empereur."
Pierre Vignon carried on the work, and the building grew into a
magnificent temple, planned upon the Maison Carrée of Nismes. The results
of Waterloo turned it again church ways, but it was not finished until 1842.
The bronze doors are perhaps the best work of Baron de Triqueti; and the
group of the Magdalen over the altar may be no more mundane and
meretricious than is usual in Marochetti's performances. The picture in the
vault over the altar is a jumble by Ziegler of sacred and secular personages,
from the Magdalen and her Master down to Napoleon the arrogant. It is
supposed to be an allegory of the history of Christianity, which Clovis
introduced to France, and Napoleon patted on the back by means of the
Concordat. The most important position in the picture is occupied by the
last-named brigand—the poor Pope even being in a secondary place,
somewhat inferior to the imperial eagle. The group in the baptistry is by
Rude; the one opposite, in a chapel dedicated to marriage, by Pradier. It was
in the Madeleine that some of the Communards were massacred in 1871. At
the end of the struggle, about 300 of them were driven into the church; and
there, before the altar where their victim, the abbé Duguerry had officiated,
they were mown down in terrible retribution, with no more mercy shown
them than they had accorded to the hostages.
In the interior fittings of the church, no expense has been spared, and
what it lacks in beauty as regards sculpture and painting it possesses in its

marble walls and its carved woodwork. The pulpit is an excellent piece of
modern wood-carving; the details of the ornament are in the best style; and
so are most of the worshippers; for it is one of the fashionable churches of
Paris. There, especially at the lazy mass (as the old writer has it, "la messe
des paresseux," which was said at "la plus haute heure du matin," at "unze
heures,") you see "des mondaines" by the dozen; only the lazy eleven
o'clock has become one in the afternoon. What in the world would the old
chronicler have said to the swarms of fashionables who just save their souls
by hurrying off after a comfortable déjeuner to those one o'clock masses?
But there is a mixture at the Madeleine; old ladies of the noblesse;
nouveaux riches; a few soldiers who like the music; half-a-dozen husbands
who go as a duty to their wives; an old Bretonne gorgeous in chains and
muslin, and velvet bodice; and two or three black women, charming in the
yellow silk handkerchiefs which swathe their heads. It is a mixture, and
what brings them? Probably the music, for at no church in Paris, and few
elsewhere, do you hear such refined, soft, emotional strains as there.
Sometimes the boys' voices are not of the best; but the artistic taste with
which they sing is always there. S. Roch has a reputation for its choir,
gained many years ago by its execution of the masses of Mozart and Haydn;
but it no longer deserves it. S. Eustache also is celebrated for its music. But
there is a special tone about that of the Madeleine one meets with nowhere
else; it aims at raising one's soul from the earth upon which it is supposed to
grovel; it certainly never interrupts prayer or disturbs thought. Even on
Good Friday, when the old Passione by Haydn, or the new one by Dubois,
is performed, refinement, not clatter, is the distinguishing characteristic. If
only some of our London organists would take a leaf out of the Madeleine
music-book! Just think of the noise at a certain West-end church, which is
the model of all that ritual should be. From its foundation, what we all
loved was the refinement of its music; it was the exponent of Gregorian
chants and Plain song. Now the most elaborate compositions are performed
for the edification and vanity of the choir. Church music ought certainly to
be an aid to prayer, not a disturbing force; but what else can it be, when
organ and choir are all shrieking Haydn's Imperial Mass, or Beethoven in C,
and each man or boy is trying to get the mastery? It is a bitter duel between
organ and voices. All the great masters' masses are sung at the Madeleine;
but you can devote yourself to your own prayers all through them without
being disturbed, if you so wish. Moreover, one hour suffices in Paris for

what in London endures an hour and a half, or more. And is not the long,
elaborate credo answerable for the objectionable Roman practice of sitting
through the greater part of it? Of course church music should be of the most
perfect kind; but perfection is sure to be greater where less is attempted; and
the mere repetitions of words, and the placing of the accent upon the wrong
note in the English translation, make these elaborate masses unsuitable in
our churches.
The ceremonial at the Madeleine always gives
strangers the impression of having been over-
rehearsed. The black-clothed beadles walk about with
measured steps, particularly the frog faced one; the
Suisses in their cocked hats leisurely saunter about
with their halberds looking the essence of
flunkeyism, and never issue from their stereotyped
expression of importance and unmixed boredom,
except upon occasions when a foreigner fails to kneel
at solemn moments. Why need the good Protestant
remain sitting when the bell rings, feigning a kneeling
posture by a sort of zigzag attitude? Up comes the
Suisse, and shaking the back of his chair, tries to jerk PÈRE HYACINTH
him out of it. Why not stand, if rags of popery and PREACHING AT
scarlet women prevent you kneeling? Or why go at THE MADELEINE.
all, if you cannot do at Rome as Rome does? I
confess to feeling a sensation of distress, and am much upset when that
chair-tipping begins. And the worst of if is that, although the victim is
innocent of what lies in store for him, we, who know the ways of the
Suisses, anxiously anticipate the fatal moment. Sometimes, too, the British-
born struggles to look pious, while he furtively reads his Baedeker, never
dreaming that the benighted foreigner knows that Classic by its blood-red
exterior. We are a great people, and are justly proud of our institutions; but
we should be no less great if we had a little more respect for other folks,
and other folks' manners and customs.
It is curious how the church beadle varies. At the Madeleine he is pure
flunkey. His cocked hat is high and broad, like the old Bumble of our
childhood; he is whiskered, but not bearded; he has an arrogant way with
him as he precedes the priest who makes the collection; and as he carries
the bag into which the alms are emptied from time to time, he looks the

essence of important officialism. Likewise, when he demands, in a
commanding voice, "Pour les pauvres, s'il vous plait!" few persons would
say him nay. Not so the Suisses of S. Eustache; they have the military air;
the cocked hat is low, and worn as by the Marshals of France. Such are they
also at S. Roch, and at both churches they salute at the Elevation, à la
militaire.
It has always seemed to me that the author of Monsieur, Madame et
Bébé, pictured the Madeleine in his scenes of Madame at church; at all
events I have often seen the like. She kneels on her velvet-covered prie-
Dieu, and tells her beads; and then, between a Pater Noster and a new batch
of Ave Marias, she turns round to a neighbour, "Ah! chère madame,
comment allez vous? et monsieur votre mari? Et la chère petite Bébé?"
"Merci, chère baronne, mon mari ne va pas trop mal; il a la migraine, voilà
tout. Et Bébé, c'est un ange; elle est ravissante, le petit chou. Mais moi, je
souffre, oh, comme je souffre! je suis tellement éreintée que.... Je vous salue
Marie, pleine de grâce.".... "How adorable is the Madeleine," said Dibden;
but he meant its exterior at twilight, when the lights spring up on the
neighbouring boulevards. And so it is in its way; but its way is to some of
us not the most beautiful way.
Many are the functions which take place there; marriages and funerals
by the score. At the latter, it affords ample room under its portico for that
terrible French custom which forces all the family of the deceased to stand
by the door and receive the condolences of their friends and acquaintances.
How do they ever survive it? And why do they not rebel against the
conventionality, and give it up? Because they are at once the most
conventional of nations, added to the most revolutionary. The funeral terror
is greater in France that here at home; it is one of the few things in which
we are ahead of our neighbours. We do not waste quite so much upon
putting our friends underground, although we too are compelled to pay
twice as much as we ought. But in some respects the French are far more
decent. Men raise their hats at passing funerals, and I have never seen the
undertakers sitting in the open car when returning from the cemetery; an
indecent proceeding like the one immortalized in Figaro. "Mon Dieu! What
strange people, ces Anglais! When they return from a funeral, the friends of
the deceased ride upon the top of the hearse with their legs hanging over it!"
One of the beauties of the Madeleine is the flower-garden at its feet, and
the tree-planted boulevards which surround it. How pleasant it is to be able

to sit down in the air upon a warm evening; would that we could do
likewise! Here, sunset is the last moment when we can breathe the air of
most of the parks, without perpetually tramping round and round upon our
weary legs. But in Paris we may sit and gaze upon the buildings by
moonlight if we like; and certainly, that is the most flattering time for the
Madeleine. Its portico, lighted up by the moon with the dark shadows
thrown behind it, has a decidedly grand appearance.

SAINTE-MARGUERITE.
The church, dedicated to

Mild Margarete, that was God's maid;
Maid Margarete, that was so meke and mild,

is not of much importance. The popularity of S. Margaret was so great in
the Middle Ages that it seems strange so little notice has been taken of her
in Paris. Only think what a lovely dragon the sculptor of the monsters upon
the towers of Notre-Dame would have contrived! We have only to look
upon them to picture to ourselves the dreadful worm.

Maiden Margrete tho (then)
Loked her beside,
And sees a loathly dragon
Out of an hirn (corner) glide:
His eyen were ful griesly,
His mouth opened wide,
And Margrete might no where flee,
There she must abide.

Maiden Margrete
Stood still as any stone,
And that loathly worm,
To her-ward gan gone,
Took her in his foul mouth,
And swallowed her flesh and bone.
Anon he brast—(burst)
Damage hath she none!
Maiden Margrete,
Upon the dragon stood;
Blyth was her harte,
And joyful was her mood.[102]

The church of S. Marguerite is in the Rue S. Bernard, Faubourg S.
Antoine. The chapel of the Souls in Purgatory is a curious composition by
Louis, dated 1765; and still more curious was the burying, in 1737, of the
tomb of Antoine Fayet, one of the curés, because of the indecent nudity of
the white marble Angels, a piece of astounding prudery in that peculiarly
indecent period of French history. Some pictures illustrative of the life of S.
Vincent de Paul are remarkable from the truthfulness of the portraiture; they
were formerly in the Lazarists' Church. A marble Descent from the Cross,
designed by Girardon, and sculptured by his pupils Le Lorrain and
Nourrisson for the church of S. Landry, found its way to S. Marguerite in
1817, where it accompanies another Descent painted upon wood, and very
excellent in its way.

SAINT-MARTIN DES CHAMPS.
Situated upon the east side of a square which lies between the Rue S.
Martin and the Boulevard Sabastopol is the Conservatoire des Arts et
Métiers, formerly the rich priory of S. Martin. As its name indicates, it used
to be surrounded by fields and gardens; now it is an oasis of antiquity, built
up upon every side but the square with huge modern houses. Its old walls
enclose a museum; its chapel contains hydraulic machines, and its refectory
is a public library. One of the twenty or more turrets which surmounted the
wall at intervals still remains; but the chapel of S. Michel, which old
Nicolas Arrade founded in the 13th century as a tomb-house for himself and
his descendants, the chapter-house, the tower, the Lady-Chapel, and several
statues of royal personages, have all been demolished—not by
Revolutionists, but by the latter-day monks, who also saw fit to rebuild their
cloisters, and ornament them with handsome Doric columns. These acts of
barbarism were perpetrated some hundred and fifty years ago. But in spite
of adversity, S. Martin still gives us some idea of a conventual foundation,
and in Paris it is the only one which has survived improvements by friend
and foe. It still has its gate leading into a large courtyard, with church,
refectory, and a portion of the cloisters.
Although the priory ranked after all the abbeys of Paris, it was well-nigh
as important, and as rich. The prior enjoyed a revenue of 45,000 livres, and
had the right of nomination to sixty benefices, twenty-nine priories, and
many curacies and chapels.
The legend of S. Martin bestowing half his cloak upon a beggar is well
known, and a frequent subject for painters. But he was given to other works
of mercy, and one, healing the leper, is said to have taken place upon the
site of this particular convent. S. Martin is the patron of soldiers. Born in
the reign of Constantine the Great, at what is now Stain, in Hungary, Martin
early became a Christian, but his parents being Pagans, he was not baptized
until comparatively late in life. His father was a Roman soldier and tribune,
and the son was enrolled in a cavalry legion. Obliged to leave his native
country for Gaul, we find him in the year 332 quartered at Amiens; and here
it was that he performed the act which has made him so famous in literature
and art—the cutting of his cloak in two to clothe a starving beggar. His

namesake, Martin Schoen, gives him such a voluminous mantle that one
feels the act of cutting it in half to have been that of a highly-practical mind
—enough for you, and enough for me. But other painters, on the contrary,
depict the cloak as of such very small dimensions that one can only marvel
that the Saint did not give it all to the beggar; for a portion of the garment
could scarcely have benefited either party. This act brought him, however,
praise from Heaven, and he hastened to receive baptism, being then twenty-
three years of age. At forty he left the army, and was elected Bishop of
Tours; and again we read of a similar story of clothing the naked, this time
with his sacerdotal vestment during the celebration of mass.
S. Martin founded several churches and monasteries, and many more
were dedicated to him after his death. Marmoutier, near Nantes, was a very
celebrated convent; and in England there are a great many churches of
which he is the patron. S. Augustine, when he came to Britain, found a
chapel in the neighbourhood of Canterbury, which had been dedicated to S.
Martin as early as the 5th century, and there he baptized his first converts.
The church is certainly one of the earliest in England, and the font cannot
be later than the 11th century; but whether it be the identical one at which
King Ethelbert stood to be baptized in the 7th century is considered
doubtful. Still, though much restored from time to time, the building retains
numbers of Roman bricks incorporated into its walls; and that Queen Bertha
worshipped in a church upon the same spot, or close by, is certain, tradition
also pointing to a stone coffin in which she lies.
To return to S. Martin, the legend relates that when he was entering
Paris, as Bishop of Tours, he met a wretched leper at the gate, and, filled
with compassion and love, he embraced him, and thus healed him of his
leprosy. This was the act which King Henri I. commemorated by founding
the priory in 1060. His son Philippe I. dedicated the church in 1067, placing
the new foundation under the patronage of the abbot of Cluny, of which
monastery S. Martin des Champs was the third daughter. Its domains
originally consisted of several acres of land, which, as time went on,
became more and more valuable; and probably, in consequence of its great
wealth, it was governed by a long succession of illustrious men; at first
regular, and subsequently, titular abbots, of which class was his eminence
the Cardinal Richelieu.
It is owing to the cession of the last of the turrets, built by prior Hugues
IV. to the town in 1712, and to the erection of a fountain at its base, that we

now possess this fragment of the old wall. The principal gate, dating 1575,
and ornamented with statues of the two royal founders, was unfortunately
demolished at the same time.
The church belongs to two distinct periods. The nave was built about the
middle of the 13th century, and is without aisles or pillars. It is lighted by
pointed windows, and covered by a pointed timber roof. The choir and apse
belong to the middle of the 12th century, and are peculiar in their
arrangement. The choir is raised from the nave, and round it on a lower
level are double aisles, divided by clustered columns which support the
vaulting. Thus, the choir is approached from the nave by steps in the usual
manner; but to enter the apsidal chapels one has to descend three or four
steps from the nave. There are a few fragments of tombs with effigies of the
priors, and some mutilated stone coffins. All the rest of the contents of the
church have disappeared; it is in fact, architecturally, an empty shell. The
statue of the Blessed Virgin sculptured in wood, and held in great
veneration by the faithful worshippers at S. Martin, was taken to S. Denis.
The whole building has been gorgeously decorated in colour, and, if
restored to its proper use, would be, after the Sainte-Chapelle, the most
interesting church in Paris; but the desecration grates upon our religious
sentiments, and the noise of the machinery in motion distracts one's nerves.
The study of architecture is not rendered easier by the rattle of a dozen or
more steam engines, compared to which the confusion of tongues must
have been a very small clatter.
Tradition gives Pierre de Montereau as the architect of the refectory,
which is a chef-d'œuvre of the 13th century. It is an oblong building with
seven tall, elegant, single-shaft pillars down the centre, dividing it into two
equal parts longitudinally. Upon the side walls are an equal number of
columns reaching about half-way down, and supported by foliated corbels
to match the capitals; the vault, springing from these and the pillars, divide
the length into eight bays. The windows consist of two lights surmounted
by a rose; but upon one side they have been blocked up. The reading pulpit,
which is built into the wall, is a beautiful specimen of its kind. It is lighted
from the back by three little windows, and approached by a staircase in the
wall, with open arcading to give light upon the refectory side. The building
has been decorated with colour, and a painting representing S. Martin
dividing his cloak, mediævalized by M. Steinheil—the whole sufficiently
harmonious.

The rest of the buildings are modern, or have
been modernized; most of the destruction
having been perpetrated by the monks, who,
like all authoritative Paris of the last century,
had Classicism on the brain. At S. Martin, as at
S. Nicolas des Champs, S. Germain l'Auxerrois,
and S. Séverin (not to mention other churches),
Doric columns have taken the place of the old
work—they must have been sculptured by the
hundred. The chapel of the Virgin, the chapter-
house, the old cloister, which, according to
Piganiol de la Force, had not the like in Paris,
and the statues of divers Kings and Saints, were
THE REFECTORY.
all swept away to make room for modern
improvements; but the refectory was left intact,
and having been used as the library, the transformation of the convent into a
museum has affected it less than the chapel. As we pass into it from the
outer world of trams and omnibuses, with all the va-et-vient of a great city,
we seem to be suddenly transported into the olden time—into a world
which, if not a better, was certainly a more artistic and a quieter one.