The Saint Sulpice Church
Other Sacred Sites and Religious Art | August 9, 2010The Saint Sulpice is a massive baroque church which was rightly located in the fashionable streets of saint Sulpice in Paris, France. Due to the recent Da Vinci fame, this beautiful European city felt a new wave of tourists come here to enjoy the city’s glamour and charm. The patron saints church was a huge seventh century tribute to the bishop of Bourges. This clergyman was known for his courage and resistance to the tyranny and oppression of the Viking king. This place was originally built to replace a gothic church.
Many architects contributed to the designing and building of this church. The construction took place in different phases. The construction of the church began in the year sixteen hundred and forty five. Later on in the year sixteen hundred and seventy the church was made bigger. The addition took about another century. A new building was being added by Florentine architect Giovanni Servandoni. Although the construction was abandoned before it could be completed. The great author, Victor Hugo and others like Marquies de Sade and Charles Baudelaire, all of these had their weddings done here. The church of saint Sulpice was later damaged, burned and turned into a temple of victory. It was later reconstructed and decorated by Eugene Delacroix in the nineteenth century.
The outside was called the cathedral of the river of gauche. . This is apparently one of the largest churches in the city of Paris. The facade is essentially a big baroque edifice which is pretty lopsided in its appearance. Its actually even looks like an actual part of the great roman coliseum. Sculptures of four bishops are place in the church square at a fountain by a famous local called Visconti.
Inside the church are the Delacroix Frescoes, the chapelle des Anges is right at the entrance. You can see Jacob wrestle with an angel and saint Michael having a fight with evil and defeating it. There is also a beautiful painting of Heliodorus being driven from the temple. If you would like to see most of the artists work then you should go to the muse Delacroix.
The Rococo chapelle de la Madonna is one of the biggest masterpieces here. The statues of the Virgin Mary here is most extra ordinary. The tomb of the cure languest de Gergy, the founder of the world first pediatric hospital; is found here. This man supervised the entire completion of the saint Sulpice. Michel Ange slodts was the one who designed the tomb. He was trained in the city of Rome. The inscriptions on this represent the Christians defeat of death, an angel is shown pulling back the curtain of immortality.
This church has one of the largest organs in the world; it has about six thousand pipes and has been played by many famous musicians like Marcel Dupre and Charles Mari Widor. This beautiful structure is today known very famously for its music. Concerts are held here quite frequently. The organ was originally constructed by Aristtide Cavaille coll. The casing for the organ was later designed by Chalgrin. The statues were made by Clodion. This place is located on the west side of the nave.
You will also be able to see the famous meridian line which is also called gnomon. The Da Vinci code talks about the gnomon. Apparently there is a narrow brass strip that the monks use this as a reference point in regard to find the Holy Grail. You could try looking for it at the west end.
The meridian line is apparently a fascination astronomical instrument that is from the eighteenth century. This line helped to study planets and determine dates of Easter every year. The way it is designed is that the suns rays pass through the opening which is located in the south transept and these rays then rest on the many points which indicate different things throughout the year. During the winter solstice, the rays come and hi the obelisk. In the spring, there is an autumn equinox. Also, there is a bronze table that helps in finding out the information hat is needed. There is a Latin inscription that has a meridian line.
About the Da Vinci code:
In the nineteenth chapter of the Da Vinci code, an albino monk names Silas visits the saint Sulpice on the information that Sauniere gives to Silas. Sauinere reveals the information to Silas at gun point inside the louvre. The monk shows a keystone which is believed to unlock the secrets to finding the Holy Grail.
The saint Sulpice is church is supposed o be the most eccentric church in history of any of the buildings in Paris. The church is built over the ruins of the temple of the Egyptian goddess Isis.
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Its quite amazing church.This is really good to read about it.I want to go there!Thanks for sharing it.