St. Sulpice and Polidor.....

Spring in Luxembourg Gardens

Sunday April 28 was a day of church, organ music, food, and friends! The day started with mass at St. Sulpice, the second largest church in Paris - (Notre Dame is the largest).  We almost didn't leave the flat since it poured with rain in the morning but the weather got better as the day progressed - except for gale force winds at times.

We made our way in the rain to St. Sulpice.  The church was opened in the 17th century and is the second on the site.  One of our reasons for attending was for the 150th anniversary celebration of the "Grand Orgue."  (As the son of a church organist, I can't help but love organ music!)  St. Sulpice's organ is one of the finest in France. More on this later.

St. Sulpice figured prominently in Dan Brown's novel (emphasis intentional) The Da Vinci Code.  So many tourists on a pilgrimage to the places in the novel came to St. Sulpice that the church posted this notice:

(...) Contrary to fanciful allegations in a recent best-selling novel, this [the line in the floor] is not a vestige of a pagan temple. No such temple ever existed in this place. It was never called a « Rose-Line ». It does not coincide with the meridian traced through the middle of the Paris Observatory which serves as a reference for maps where longitudes are measured in degrees East or West of Paris. (...) Please also note that the letters « P » and « S » in the small round windows at both ends of the transept refer to Peter and Sulpice, the patron saints of the church, and not an imaginary « Priory of Sion ».


Not surprisingly Ron Howard was denied permission to film in the church for the movie of The Da Vinci Code.

We met San Diego friends Linda and Bob Thomas after mass and walked to Polidor for lunch.  This restaurant was opened in 1845 and was frequented by Hemingway, Henry James, Victor Hugo, Max Ernst, James Joyce, etc. It is NOT gourmet but lots of character.  You sit at tables with other patrons crowded into the tiny space.  Food is basic but good -you are there for the atmosphere - very "funky" and "Left Bank."  One of the scenes in Midnight in Paris was filmed here when the Owen Wilson's character met Hemingway.  A picture of Woody Allen is taped to the front window of Polidor.  Yes - the restaurant has become a tourist attraction but it is still fun!

Polidor Restaurant

Bob and Linda returned to their apartment and we took a short walk in the Luxembourg Gardens - the tulips were blooming and the horse chestnut trees were starting to flower in both white and pink - alternating sun and white clouds gave the scene an ever-changing perspective.  Since the afternoon organ concert at St. Sulpice was at 4pm, we decided to pass the time at a cafe overlooking the Gardens. The mint with green tea was served in a teapot with the "real stuff" - no tea bags in sight!   A small dog sat at the table behind us - never making a sound.  Humanity walked down the sidewalk in front of us - ah - one of the main reasons I love Paris - the art of living perfected!

The Dog's Life in Paris

The organ concert was amazing - the nave of the church was nearly full and some of the side aisles.  Six prominent French organists, including two from Notre Dame, played selections that started with composers from the 17th century and progressed to the present. Daniel Roth, the principal organist at St. Sulpice since 1985, actually started the commemoration at the mass in the morning with an extended series of compositions for the prelude and postlude. Roth is the latest in a long line of famous principal organists at St. Sulpice that includes Marcel Dupre and Charles-Marie Widor.  The Tocatta (link to listen) from the 5th Symphony of Widor is one of my all time favorites!

Every Sunday at about 11:30 the door to the organ loft opens and you can wind your way up the narrow spiral staircase to the organ loft to meet Daniel Roth and watch him play the massive five register Cavaille-Coll organ constructed in 1862.  We did this two years ago - quite an experience.  The view of the nave from the loft is not bad either!  During the concert, the announcer indicated that they had just finished cleaning ALL 7,000 pipes - they were removed and lined up to be cleaned one at a time!

The concert was memorable and a fitting end to our first Sunday in Paris this trip!