Church organs of the Vendee

ANGELA BIRD'S

The
Vendée

Church organs of the Vendée – and the surrounding area

St Martin’s church, Montaigu

The Vendée has about 75 pipe organs, 32 of which
are either new or entirely rebuilt since 1970.
They serve three main purposes: first, and most important,
to accompany religious services with beautiful music;
second to provide organists with a means to extend their repertoires;
and third for cultural purposes such as concerts and recitals.

This page does also include some pipe organs just beyond
the fringes of the Vendée, indicated by a slightly yellower background.

I am indebted to Anthony Langford, Louis-Marie Paillereau
and le Père Joseph Vité (President of Les Amis de l’Orgue de la Vendée)
for their help in providing much of the information below.

Details of church organs have generally come from French brochures picked up
inside the respective churches. Information on the presence of
Cavaillé-Coll organs has come from the Association Aristide Cavaillé-Coll website.

My apologies for the gloomy quality of some of the pictures; organs seem
often to be installed in dark corners, high up, or against a window.

Areas referred to are as those in my Vendée guidebook
(spool down the guidebook page to read the chapter-headings).


Area 1
Photo: Angela Bird			CHALLANS Eglise St Martin de la Rive The height of the new organ in Challans church, to the right of the altar, takes your breath away. At 13 metres, it reaches from the floor almost to the roof, and has 21 stops (16 according to Les Amis de l’Orgue de la Vendee) and 2 manuals. It was made by Rémy Mahler, from Pfaffenhoffen in Alsace, and was installed in April 2003. The case is in elm and is in a resolutely modern style. As well as being employed for regular services, it is also used by students from Challans’ school of music. Mass: Sat 7pm; Sun 11am.

Photo: Angela Bird			COMMEQUIERS Eglise The little church in the centre of this attractive village is an interesting blend of old and new. Though the structure is pretty ancient, the furnishings, the baptistry, and the stained-glass windows were renewed in the 1970s. Local craftsmen then decided to create a hand-crafted organ for the church, with some unusual flights of fancy. After their 30 years’ work on the project, an angel emerges from the lower part, and a scroll from the upper. The organ has four manuals, pedals and 26 stops.

Photo: David Crowley			ST-GILLES-CROIX-DE-VIE Eglise Ste-Croix Place Guy Kergoustin, on N side of river Vie The baroque-style organ of this tall 19th-century church was installed in 1983. Made by Philippe Emeriau, it has 19 stops, 2 manuals and pedals, and is often used for concerts as well as for services. (To view information via the weblink, look for the words “St Gilles” in the list, and then click on “Plus” just to the left.) Mass: Sun 10am; Wed 6pm; Fri 11am.
Photo: Angela Bird			ILE D’YEU Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Port Rue Gabriel-Guist’hau, Port-Joinville The handsome church that stands high up behind the quayside buildings of Port Joinville contains a wonderful-looking pipe organ made by François Delhumeau, of Aubusson, in 1995. Located in the north transept, the instrument has 20 stops, and stands 8 metres high. There is a better image on this site; and even of its inner workings here; you can hear it played by Claude Auger through a link on this page. The organ arrived on the island on 17 June 1996, and was blessed on 20 April 1997 by M l’Abbé Yves Boivineau. The inaugural concert was given by M l’Abbé Abel Gaborit, organist of Luçon cathedral. Mass: Sun 9.30am, 11.15am, 6.30pm; Tues 11am .

Area 2

Photo: Angela Bird			AIZENAY Eglise St Benoît This massive early-20thC church has a Cavaillé-Coll, installed in 1949. It had orginally been made for a church in Ecuador, but instead in 1878 had gone to a church the town of Paray-le-Monial. (To view information via the above weblink, look for the word “Aizenay” in the list, and then click on “Plus” just to the left.) In Aizenay, it was restored in 1978 by Jean Renaud of Nantes, and in 1986 by the organ-builder Dominique Oberthur. Nine of its 15 stops are Cavaillé-Coll.

Photo: Angela Bird			MOUILLERON-LE-CAPTIF Eglise Built by Nicolas Toussaint, of Nantes, the organ of Mouilleron (just outside La Roche-sur-Yon) has two manuals, with pedals and 20 stops. There is nothing in the church to tell you about it, sadly.

Photo: Angela Bird			OLONNE-SUR-MER Eglise Ste Marie The beautiful little François Delhumeau organ at Olonne was installed in January 2002 (replacing an old Gloton-Debierre instrument), and inaugurated in October the same year. The tourist office, opposite the church, has an interesting brochure on it, from which you learn, among other things, that the organ cost a total of 121,000 euros – the price of a small house, and that it received a 50,000-euro subsidy from regional, county, parish and arts organisations. It was the 59th instrument built by Delhumeau, and has 15 stops, 2 manuals and a pedal-board.

Photo: Angela Bird			LE POIRÉ-SUR-VIE Eglise St-Pierre Built in 1890 by E&J Abbey, sons of English organ-builder John Abbey * (1785-1859), Le Poiré’s pipe organ weighs 13 tonnes and is one of the largest in the Vendée. Installed in the church in 1982, the organ became a listed monument in 2000. It has two manuals and pedal board, and 26 stops. Les Amis de l’Orgue de Vendée describe it as a “très bel orgue”, which places it among the best in the county. *John Abbey, born in Northamptonshire, moved to France in 1826, was responsible for introducing the English bellows system to France. His sons continued in the business. According to Wikipedia, “Abbey was the first who introduced into French organs the English mechanism and the bellows invented by Cummins. His example was speedily followed by the French builders, and from that period may be dated the improvements in organ-building which raised the French builders to eminence.”

			LA ROCHE-SUR-YON Eglise St-Louis Place Napoléon, 85000 La Roche-sur-Yon A relatively small Cavaillé-Coll, compared with that of Luçon, this one has two manuals, pedals and 9 stops, with a bourdon added in 1941. According to the excellent notes of the Association des Amis Yonnais de l’Orgue, this instrument was built in Paris in 1884 as the company’s demonstration model, and acquired by the parish of St Louis 10 years later. It is at present on the left of the altar. It was overhauled in 1999 by Renaud, of Nantes. In 1989 the new Grand Orgue made by Yves Koenig, from Sarre-Union, in Alsace was installed. This new instrument has 3 manuals, pedals and 40 stops. (From the link above, click on “Achievements” in the list on the left of the screen, and then find La Roche-sur-Yon under “France” in the list.) The Association des Amis Yonnais de l’Orgue helped to finance the gallery in which it is installed, above the main door of this vast Classical church. They also encourage concerts to be put on, so that everyone can hear this magnificent instrument.
Photos: Angela Bird


Area 3

Photo: Angela Bird			LUÇON Cathedral Notre-Dame The most famous organ in the Vendée is the Cavaillé-Coll installed above the great west door in the magnificent cathedral of Luçon. A gift from Napoléon III, it was delivered in 1857. It is described as having 41 stops and three manuals, though according to the Amis del ‘Orgue de la Vendée it has 54 stops, four manuals, and pedals. (To view information via the weblink, look for the word “Luçon” in the list, and then click on “Plus” just to the left.) This web page has a picture of Félix Moreau, organist of Nantes Cathedral, playing the Luçon organ. (Spool about a quarter of the way down the page.) The Organist’s Review praises André Isoir’s 1977 recording of César Franck’s “Les Trois Chorals/Final/Isoir” (Calliope label), as the best recording ever made of these organ works. 2009 During July and August there is a free organ recital in the cathedral every Sunday at 5pm. Mass: Sat 7pm; Sun 11am.

Photo: Angela Bird			MAREUIL-SUR-LAY Eglise An Oberthur organ, installed in 1988 in the Romanesque church of this little wine-producing town. You can see and hear it on the Oberthur website. (Look for “Mareuil/Lay” in the list on the left of the screen.)

Photo: Angela Bird			LA ROCHELLE (Charente-Maritime) Cathédrale Saint-Louis The massive instrument is appropriate to such an enormous church as this. In Classical style, the cathedral was built in the 1850s. The organ is by Merklin-Schutze, and was installed in 1867.

No image yet			LA ROCHELLE (Charente-Maritime) Protestant Temple, 2, rue St Michel 17000 La Rochelle Cavaillé-Coll 8 stops, 1 manual Delivery 1841 Another website here says that it is by Merklin, of Lyon

Photo: Angela Bird			SAINTE-HERMINE Eglise Notre-Dame de l’Assomption This rather unusual church in the upper part of town, consecrated in 1847, is considered the finest work of the architect Jean-Firmin Lévêque. The organ, above the west door, was installed in 1990. No information on it was to be found in the church, but according to les Amis de l’Orgue de la Vendée it was made by Guerrier, has two manuals and a pedal-board, and 11 stops.

Area 4			-

Photo: Angela Bird			CHANTONNAY Eglise Another of those organs that is located far too high up to be photographed successfully. This one in the tribune of Chantonnay church, was manufactured in 1896 by Maison Debierre, and has 10 stops and 540 pipes.
Photo: Angela Bird			FONTENAY-LE-COMTE Eglise Notre-Dame High above the main door of the church (and hard to photograph against the light), the organ of Notre-Dame church looks as if it is about to fly heavenwards. It is made of oak from the nearby forest of Mervent, and is topped with a series of peaks like those of Sydney Opera House. Called “Marie, Reine du Ciel”, it was built in 1995 by Oberthür, of Saintes. It has three manuals, pedals, and 29 stops. There is a great series of pictures on the Oberthür site, and a chance to hear the organ in action. (Look for “Fontenay-le-C” in the list on the left of the screen.) The French government culture website also has several pages devoted to it here.

No image yet.			MOUILLERON-EN-PAREDS Eglise The pretty church in Mouilleron has one manual, pédalier and 8 stops.

Photo: Angela Bird			NIORT (Deux-Sèvres) Eglise Notre-Dame A tall spire marks the position of this gothic church, dating back to the 16th century. The magnificent organ was built in 1745 by the Poitevin factor Glockner. Rebuilt in 1840 by Doublaine & Callinet, it was moved several times during changes in the layout of the church, and in 1982 sent to Nîmes for restoration. It was brought back to Niort and reconsecrated in 2001. It has two keyboards and a pedalier. Information from an excellent website about Notre-Dame church, Niort.

			NIORT (Deux-Sèvres) Eglise St-André The twin spires of St Andrew’s church dominate the town. Once you have toiled up there to see inside, you are greeted by some intense colours covering much of the walls, painted by Niort artist Louis Germain in 1894. There are actually two organs in the church today. The grandes orgues (two top pictures, left) are by Cavaillé-Coll-Convers, built in 1924 and restored a bit in 1960 by Deliancourt. The instrument is strangely arranged on both sides of the tribune above the main door, with the back open to view, so I have just photographed both aspects of one side of it. It is apparently very sensitive to drying out, so is not used in summer. An orgue de choeur, bottom left, by Brun & Binette of Poitiers was installed in 1926. However, it is in bad condition and is no longer used. A harmonium is played in summer when the main organ is unusable.

Photos: Angela Bird

Photo: Angela Bird			NIORT (Deux-Sèvres) Eglise St-Hilaire This 19th-century church near Niort railway station has an organ made by the Maison Debierre, of Nantes, around 1840, which was acquired by the parish in 1914.

No picture yet			NIORT (Deux-Sèvres) Musée d’Agesci The town’s excellent museum has an organ of its own in the auditorium. Inaugurated on 18 November 2009, it was made by Cheron, of Le Mans, in 1954, and recently restored by JP Villard.

Photo: Angela Bird			POUZAUGES Eglise St Jacques This ancient church in the centre of Pouzauges has an elegant organ – with its own website - that has recently been restored. The beautiful, light-coloured case was made by Olivier Chevron, of the Indre, as an exact copy of the previous one (though a little bigger). Chevron is also responsible for the restoration of the earlier elements by Louis Bonn, and by Debierre & Gloton. The instrument has two manuals, pedal board and 16 stops.

Area 5

Photos: Angela Bird			LA BRUFFIÈRE Eglise Sainte-Radégonde A beautiful Oberthur organ, rebuilt in 1980, and installed in May 1981, stands behind the altar and the ornate ciborium. It has two manuals, pedals and 21 stops, and is considered a “bel orgue” by Les Amis de l’Orgue de la Vendee. You can see and hear it on the Oberthür website. (Look for “La Bruffière” in the list on the left of the screen.) The organ conceals the three windows in the east end of the choir that portray episodes in the life of the church’s patron saint, Sainte Radégonde

Photo: Jean-Marie Boissinot			CHAVAGNES-EN-PAILLERS Eglise St Pierre et St Paul This magnificent baroque instrument, more details of which are visible on this website, was built in the 1980s by Gérald Guillemin and is one of the finest in the Vendée. Inspired by early 18^th-century German organs, it has two manuals and a pédalier, and 22 stops. It is highly decorative, as seen in the photograph, being entirely painted, and decorated with fretwork carvings. Keep an eye open for the occasional recitals given in the church. My thanks to Jean-Marie Boissinot, president of the Association "Les amis de l'orgue de Chavagnes en Paillers", for supplying much of the information.

Photo: Angela Bird			CHOLET (Maine-et-Loire) Eglise Notre-Dame The present twin-spired church, just off the main square, Place Travot, was built between 1854 and 1887. According to the church leaflet, the organ, by Stolz, was installed in 1870. However a page from the website of Organs of Maine-et-Loire describes it as a Louis Debierre organ, installed in 1903 at the end of the choir and moved to its present site in the south transept in 1955. It was completely rebuilt by Beuchet-Debierre in the 1960s. It has 41 stops and three keyboards. You can hear this instrument accompanying gospel-singers, during the Printemps des Orgues en Maine et Loire. On Fri 30 April 2010, 8.30pm, it will be played by Rhoda Scott

Photo: Angela Bird			CLISSON (Loire-Atlantique) Eglise Notre-Dame The organ in this lovely, 19^th-century Italianate church was built by Louis Debierre in 1904. It has 8 stops and 2 manuals, and a case in oak that was chosen to match the wood of the pews. Located behind the altar, the organ is surrounded by frescoes executed by Georges Lusseau in 1930/31 that depict religious scenes and also local worthies of the time – as well as the artist’s grandparents, wife and niece.

Photo: Angela Bird			LES ESSARTS Eglise Notre-Dame There is a pipe organ on the tribune above the west door, which looks as if it is about to climb over the parapet! Unfortunately no details about it are to be found anywhere in the church. A search of the internet reveals that it was made by Sébastien Fohrer, from Alsace, who qualified as an organ-builder in 2000 and founded his own business a year later. There is a biography of this young man here. However, Les Amis de l’Orgue de la Vendée maintain that it is by the Alsatian facteur Guerrier, has two manuals and pedal board and 19 stops.

No image yet.			LES HERBIERS Eglise St Pierre The instrument in this rather gloomy church is by Renaud, with 2 manuals and pedals.

Photo: Angela Bird			LES LUCS-SUR-BOULOGNE Eglise Another Dominique Oberthür organ, rebuilt in 1985, using 80% of the pipes from its predecessor – an 1870 organ by Charles Wetzel that was orginally made for the Lutheran church of Saint-Jean-de-Belfort. It has two mauals, pedal board and 14 stops. You can see and hear it on the Oberthür website. (Look for “Les Lucs/B” in the list on the left of the screen.) In the church, the organ is sited in the south transept. Beside it are some of the church’s famous series of stained-glass windows depicting the counter-revolutionary Vendée Wars of the early 1790s. After the vengeful Republican army had swept into Les Lucs and massacred more than 300 inhabitants, a curate of the village, named Barbadette, carefully noted the names and ages of the victims. The windows round the nave recall his ministry of the time, and a recorded commentary (press the button located behind the organ), recounts the whole horrific story. You can see the names and ages recorded on marble slabs in the Chapelle du Petit-Luc, above the village. Mass: Sun 9.45am.

Photo: Angela Bird			MONTAIGU Eglise St Martin The organ currently in Montaigu church, was built in 1892 by Stoltz of Paris for St Laud’s, Angers. At the outset it had 13 stops (“jeux”), which was increased to 18 by Debien-Gloton. It was acquired by the church in Montaigu in 1955, and rebuilt by Beuchet-Debierre. In 1958 it was given a handsome case (“buffet”) from the old organ (1890) of the church of St Ferdinand des Ternes, in Paris. The number of stops was increased to 22, and then to 27 during its 1984 restoration by the Nantes organ-builder Jean Renaud. Today the organ has two manuals: great organ (“Grand Orgue”), and swell (“Récit Expressif”), as well as a window console (“console en fenêtre)” and suspended mechanism (“mécanique suspendue”). The traction of the stops (“régistres”) is by electric motors.

No image yet.			MORTAGNE-SUR-SEVRE Eglise A Damiens organ here has two manuals, pedalier and 23 stops.

Photo: Angela Bird			ROCHESERVIERE Eglise The Rocheservière organ was built by Yves Fossaert. It has 2 manuals and a pedal board, and 20 stops. It merits a special mention from Les Amis de l’Orgue en Vendée, so must be among the top ones in the area.

Photo: Angela Bird			ST-LAURENT-SUR-SEVRE Basilique St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort This awe-inspiring neo-Byzantine basilica was built to contain the mortal remains of St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, who died in St Laurent in 1716. Pope Jean-Paul II visited the basilica on 19 September 1996, to pay homage to a man whose writings had been an inspiration to him. The basilica’s present organ, in the west transept of the basilica, was installed in September 1998. It was originally built in 1887 by Barthélemy Formentelli, of Verona, and was installed here in place of an older organ that had seen better days. It has a cherrywood case in “Mediterranean baroque” style; it has three manuals and pedalier, with 45 stops. It is not very highly reckoned by organ connoisseurs. Mass: Daily 9.30am; Sun 11am (1 July-31 Aug, also Sat 7pm in crypt). There are organs in other churches of St-Laurent, too: a Debierre instrument in the chapel of the Sœurs de la Communauté de la Sagesse, and a Gloton organ, with 14 stops, in the chapel of the Institution Saint-Gabriel. Mass in Chapelle de la Sagesse, daily 11am.

Photo: Angela Bird			TIFFAUGES Eglise St Pierre The organ was installed in 1871, and is on a shallow balcony high up at the west end of the church. It has 22 stops and two manuals, and was made by the Damien Brothers, of Gaillon in the Eure (Normandy).

Area 6

Photo: Angela Bird			GUÉRANDE (Loire-Atlantique) Collégiale St Aubin The organ was installed in 1921. Annual music festival: La Voix des Orgues. Organ concerts are given on Friday evenings in July and August. (Gosh, it just occurs to me that this one and the instrument below, at Machecoul, look identical. Unfortunately, I have no information on the makers of either.)

Photo: Angela Bird			MACHECOUL (Loire-Atlantique) Eglise Machecoul’s twin-spired church is visible for miles around, across the Marais de Machecoul. The organ looks lovely, but sadly there is no information on it to be seen anywhere in the church. (This one and the instrument above, at Guérande, look identical.)
Photo: Angela Bird			NANTES (Loire-Atlantique) Cathédrale St Pierre This page has photographs of Félix Moreau, a composer and the cathedral’s organist from 1954, playing one of its two instruments, the Grande Orgue – also pictured. The Grande Orgue was built in 1619, but has suffered damage and destruction at different times, with the cathedral itself – most recently the great fire of January 1972. It was refurbished in the workshops of Louis Debierre in 1896, and later by Gloton in 1926. Damaged by Allied bombing in 1944, it was moved to the Debierre-Gloton workshops for repair in 1946. After the 1972 fire, the organ was not heard again until 1985 after repairs by Renaud, of Nantes.
			NANTES (Loire-Atlantique) Notre-Dame de Bon Port The mighty organ that stands on pillars above the west door of the church was made in 1891 (or 1881, according to the church pamphlet) by Louis Debierre. The pamphlet claims the instrument to be a masterpiece of 19th-century neo-Classical organ building, capable of reproducing harmonies characteristic of the 17th and 18th centuries. It has three keyboards and a pedalier of 30 notes, with 45 stops and 4,000 pipes. This was one of the first organs in France to have electric transmission. It was refurbished in 1981 by Jean Renaud, of Nantes. Click here for a much better view of the organ case ; and here for a view of the inner workings. There is also a small organ (lower picture, left) almost hidden behind the organ. I have no information on this. I hugely apologise for the poor quality of the images here. Both these instruments were in gloomy corners, and flash or no flash made little difference. In fact, they are marginally better with no flash. Below is one of the church interior, taken with my back to the “grand orgue”. Notre-Dame de Bon Port, near the Chantiers Navals tram stop, has a wonderful cupola, appearing as a massive dome from the outside.
Photos: Angela Bird
No image yet			NANTES (Loire-Atlantique) St Clement’s church 4 Rue Lorette de la Refoulais, 44000 Nantes, Cavaillé-Coll 11 stops, 2 manuals, Orgue de choeur Delivery January 1867

			NANTES (Loire-Atlantique) Eglise Sainte-Croix In the heart of the old town, near Place Bouffay, is this tall church crowned with a fantastically decorative clock- and bell-tower. Outside, the stone is beautifully white and clean - but within, it is pretty gloomy still. The organ, hidden away behind the altar and very difficult to photograph, was built in 1853 by Darche. It was restored by Lelogeais in 1873, again in 1923 by Mintier & Gloton, and most recently by Renaud in 1979 – now with 17 stops.
Photos: Angela Bird

Photo: from panels in church.			ST-PHILBERT-DE-GRANDLIEU (Loire-Atlantique) The parish church of St Philbert was built between 1862 and 1869, to replace the much earlier 9^th-century church (now a tourist attraction) that was falling into ruin. Up high at the bell-tower end is a remarkable pipe organ made by the Belgian company of Adrien and Solomon Van Bever - constructed in 1893/1894 for the chapel of the Collège St-Grégoire, at Tours. (I am afraid I cheated, as the organ was too high to photograph, and snapped instead the picture on the informative panels about the organ and its inner workings, set up inside the church.) The organ was purchased for St Philbert in 1920 and inaugurated on 21 August 1921–feast-day of the church’s patron saint. This romantic-looking organ produces very interesting sounds, including an unusual clarinet sound. Its 19 stops (“jeux réels”) are expressed through two manuals: the great organ (“Grand Orgue”) of 56 notes, and the swell organ (“Récit”) of 56 notes; and by a pedal “pedalier” of 27 notes. In October 2003 the blower (“soufflerie”) was restored by organ-builder Monsieur Hervy. Church open from 9am to 5pm.

SOME USEFUL LINKS The website of Les Amis de l’Orgue de la Vendée, carries detailed descriptions of about 20 organs in the area. You need to click on the word “Plus” beside the name of the town you are interested in to see a full description and photographs. Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899) Association Aristide Cavaillé-Coll ; also in English here Aristide Cavaillé-Coll built more than 500 organs. Louis Debierre (1842-1920) The history of Louis Debierre’s company, of Nantes and another page on Debierre and his successors here. François Delhumeau from Chaussade, in the Creuse département Yves Fossaert Fossaert has been making organs in Seine-et-Marne since 1989 Jean-Christian Guerrier Alsace Joseph Merklin (1819-1905) Dominique Oberthür, of Saintes A site for Oberthür, builders of several modern organs for Vendée churches Organ links for France The French Ministry of Culture website has a page called “Les Orgues de France” It contains a list of the organ-builders of France here.

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