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 I^{er,} 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.
[Illustration: PART OF THE SOUTH DOOR.]
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 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'oeuvre_, a sort of pew erected opposite the pulpit for the
clergy and Monsieur le Maire and his assistants during sermon, is a
_chef-d'oeuvre_ 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 choeur_ 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'oeuvre 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
Coeur_; 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.
[Illustration: THE CROSS BEARER OF S. EUSTACHE.]