an immersive show that reveals the epic history of the Parisian church

Saint-Sulpice, in Paris, like we’ve never seen it before! The new immersive show by Damien Fontaine, specialist in “sound and light” in religious buildings, enhances the neoclassical architecture of this immense church, built between the 17th and 18th centuries. For an hour and a half, a choreography of images emitted by forty-two video projectors dresses the vaults in all colors, evoking the palaces of the kings of France, the starry sky or the different stages of construction of the monument.

Set against this spectacular backdrop, one hundred and twenty volunteer adult and child extras are summoned to the choir and the nave to interpret the people of this new district of the capital, who need a new church – two troupes take turns, while one hundred other volunteers and as many professionals work behind the scenes. “I was looking for a place that had a story to tell us,” explains the director.

“The novel of Saint-Sulpice” thus unfolds the adventures of a project which began in 1642, under the aegis of the pious priest Jean-Jacques Olier. Very quickly, the project encountered budgetary difficulties, jealousies and the dark hours of the Fronde – a revolt of parliamentarians and then of the great lords against the young Louis we follow over more than a century, ensures the link. Damien Fontaine had already used this type of scenario last year in Saint-Étienne de Mulhouse with his show Terra Alsatia.

Actors and faithful

“Of course, the faithful of the parish, very open to this project, provided some of the extras,” he explains, “but others come from very different backgrounds. This mixture gives great energy! » Despite a downside concerning the characters’ wigs, the paintings are alive and we feel their pleasure in participating in such an adventure.

The dialogues, played in playback, were recorded by professional actors, from Anny Duperey to Émilie Dequenne via Guillaume de Tonquédec. And we let ourselves be carried away by the rapid succession of scenes. As narrator, an actress dressed as a firefly – or an angel? –, mounted on stilts, passes among the spectators and chants the story.

This original show pays a beautiful tribute to the sacred place. A significant donation from the proceeds will go to the parish, while a percentage of the profit will participate, as patronage, in the restoration of this beautiful church, in very poor condition as soon as the lights go out.