The church Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul is a church located at Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine). It is in particular known to shelter the tombs of Joséphine and Hortense de Beauharnais.

History

• VIIIe century: existence of a parish in Rueil

• XIIe century: 1st church at this place
• 1420-1432: rise in the Romance bell-tower, during the English occupation
• at the end of the one hundred year old war: the church is mainly destroyed
• 1584: Antoine 1st, king of the Portugal in exile, poses the first stone of the new church
• 1632: the current frontage is set up on order of Richelieu, under the responsibility of the architect Jacques Lemercier
• 1789: the church is very damaged, the sculptures of the frontage are destroyed, the organ offered by Richelieu are sold
• 1818: funeral of the empress Joséphine
• 1837: the queen Hortense is buried in the crypt
• 1857: Napoleon III makes restore the church and rebuild the bell-tower with the image of the primitive Romance bell-tower. It finances even part of this restoration on on its personal cassette.
• 1862: the church is reproduced on the list of Prosper Mérimée
• 1941: classification on the list of the Historic buildings
• 1990: restoration of the church

Outside

The frontage of the church is of Jacques Lemercier, and resembles much that of the vault of the Sorbonne, which it also carried out.

The statues of the frontage of the sculptor Sarrazin, disappeared with the Revolution, were replaced at the time of the restoration of 1990 by modern statues: the apostles Pierre and Paul by Louis Lepicard, as well as angels by Jean-Loup Bouvier.

On the frontage, one can see in top the weapons of Richelieu, and, with the top of the central porch, a memory of the French revolution: the currency Freedom, Equality, Fraternity.

The bell-tower, to Romance style, goes back from the restoration of the 19th century.

Interior

The Nave, built about 1600, makes 40 meters length. It was restored like all the church at the XIXe century, this occasion, the transept was increased besides on the sides. The vault culminates with 13 meters height and is supported by 14 pillars.

the organ case was offered by Napoleon III at the time of the restoration of the church to the 19th century. It is the work of the sculptor Florentin Baccio d' Agnolo and was, until its purchase by Napolén III, in the church Santa Maria Novella of Florence. The organ themselves is of Cavaillé-coll.

At the bottom of the chorus, a remarkable gilded bronze low-relief represents the Deposition by François Anguier. Create in 1667 and gilded by Dizy, this work was intended for the church of the Valley-of-Grace to Paris. Napoleon had acquired it in 1805 for the Vault of the Château of Malmaison. The owner of the castle in 1837, Hagerman, in fact gift with the church.

In the side chapels of the chorus are the tomb of Joséphine as well as the mausoleum of the Queen Hortense, who is buried in a crypt under the church.

the tomb of the Empress Joséphine is a work of Pierre Cartellier. Out of marble of Carrara marble, it represents Joséphine in the same attitude as in the table of the Sacre of David. The Empress rests in the base of the monument, in three coffins, of lead, mahogany tree and oak. This tomb was completed in 1825, that is to say more than 9 years after the death of Joséphine which while waiting, had been put in the cellar of the close presbytery.

Beside the tomb of Joséphine is the tomb of his/her uncle Tascher of Pagerie, governor of the Martinique.

the mausoleum of the Reine Hortense is a work of Jean-Auguste Barre, realized under the direction of the Lacroix architect, to whom Napoleon III had entrusted work of restoration of the church. He is inaugurated by Napoleon III and the empress Eugenie in 1858. The sculpture represents Hortense with knees, accompanied by an angel. With its feet, a crown and a quadrant.

A preceding mausoleum had been carried out by Bartolini in 1846, but he had been refused by Napoleon III. He is currently in the vault of the castle of Arenenberg, in Suisse, where died Hortense de Beauharnais.

External bonds

• Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul on the Mérimée basis of the Ministry for the Culture
• Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul on the site of the Town hall of Rueil-Malmaison
• Site of the deanery of Rueil, including the parish Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul