DEBRET François (1777-1850)

architect and freemason

François Debret reports that the restoration of the Royal Church of Saint-Denis, which had been devastated in 1793, was undertaken in Year 13 (1805) o f the Republic. The revolutionaries had salvaged the lead from the roofs and stained glass windows. Tiles were quickly brought to replace it but, because of lack of roofers and money to pay them with, none were laid over the organ dating from the XVIIIth Century which was left open to the elements… till 1897. The worst was when soldiers were billeted in the Abbey in 1799. The organ was in danger. The decision was taken to dismantle it and put the pieces, into the Paris warehouse supervised by citizen Molard at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers. A decree issued by the Emperor Napoleon on February 20 1806, dedicated the Saint-Denis edifice as the burial place of emperors (kings) and established a chapter to serve it. François Debret's brother, Baptiste Debret, painter of historic subjects, was a student of Louis David who was present at the architect's marriage to a Miss Duban whose brother later became a pupil of Debret. The latter was responsible for the work on the Royal Church of Saint-Denis from 1813. François Debret was a member of the "Point Parfait" Lodge and was initiated on June 24 1823. He was the expert for the Grand Orient de France's supreme council on rites, responsible for all ritual aspects of work in the Lodge.

Dominique Cavaillé-Coll, freemason, Sovereign Prince of the Rose-Croix, saw to the well-being of his son Aristide along with numerous Brothers. He had been a member of “The Frineds of Glory and the Arts” and “The Friends of the Arts and Harmony.” in Montpellier since 1808. At Saint-Denis the organist of the parish church, Hector Vauthier, was also 18th Degree in the Ancient and Accepted Scottisch Rite and member of the “The Admirers of Montyon” Lodg,”, whereas Louis Gautherot, locksmith, and André Bouxin, master woodworker and creator of the organ case, were members of the “Saint-Marc” Lodge of the Orient de Saint-Denis. A network of Brothers thus came to the aid of the young Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.

In the estimate of expenditures for 1834, on the subject of work carried out for the Royal Church's financial year 1833 he made it clear that "the most important item is the organ estimated at 100,000 francs. The reason it has not been dealt with is that the time required to establish the list of competitors and receive their estimates, and for the committee responsible for drawing up a new programme for the construction of the organ to deliberate and finally choose the builder, made it impossible to appoint him before January 2 1834. - These are the reasons for the expenditure of 100,000 francs on the major building work which allowed me to restore some bays plus the interior and exterior of the towers and their roofs, none of which was included in the 1833 estimate".

This new distribution of State funds was put to advantage by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll who had come up to Paris on the recommendation of Rossini following the famous meeting of September 28 1832, in Toulouse, at the performance of Meyerbeer's Robert-le-Diable. Cavaillé Père et Fils' Poïkilorgue was heard and appreciated there.

Thiers' decision to entrust the work on the new organ for Saint-Denis to the Cavaillés is mentioned in the margin of an administrative note addressed to the Minister on February 27 1834, from Mr. Edmond Blanc, general secretary responsible for the management of civic buildings. The Cavaillés, with the backing of Mr. Berton, had sent a note, dated December 13 1833, asking for an interview with him just when they were in the midst of the discussions about the applicants. Meanwhile, they had to find a new residence. They decided on the rue Notre-Dame-de Lorette while, at St. Denis, François Debret build workshops in the Treasury courtyard, on the south side of the basilica, to make it easier for them to carry out the work, and found them lodgings at No 5 rue de la Fromagerie with Mr. Blois, the sculptor nominated to decorate the oak neogothic organ case, designed by the architect in co-operation with the organ builders. An additional warehouse for materials was rented on the rue Laval in the new Athens district, about a hundred metres from where Mr Thiers lived in the house he had bought on October 18 1830, from Mr. Dosnes, a stockbroker and his future father-in-law!