Saint-Jacques de Lunéville Organ Stamp

This article features the Saint-Jacques de Lunéville Organ Stamp from 2012. I have a lot of stamps that feature organs, in part because they celebrate specific instruments. While most stamps feature generic instruments such as a guitar, a piano, or a violin, organ stamps celebrate the unique qualities of a specific instrument. Some of my favorite organ stamp articles include the Las Piñas bamboo organ in the Philippines, the Bruckner organ in the old cathedral in Linz, and the Arp Schnitger organ in Hamburg. This post, however, features a minisheet from France, with two stamps set in a larger design. It celebrates the fantastic organ in the church of Saint-Jacques in Lunéville .

Saint-Jacques de Lunéville

The church of Saint-Jacques is a baroque roccoco style church from the middle of the eighteenth century in Lunéville, France. Originally, the congregation began as a parish church serving the abbey of Saint-Remy in 999. In the twelfth century, the church also became a parish church, serving both the local community and the monks of the abbey. However, this arrangement was the cause of major conflict between the community and the monks. At one point, there was even a major disagreement about the location of the baptismal font. Then, around the turn of the fourteenth century, the town was given permission to build a new church outside of the campus of the abbey. It was complete by 1426.

In 1702, Duke Léopold made Lunéville his home and the capital of Lorraine. This led to an architectural renaissance within the town. Plans began for a new church by the architect Jean-Nicolas Jennesson, whose vision can be seen in the lower level. Lack of funds slowed the building, until Stanislas Leszczynski became the Duke of Lorraine in 1737. His support led to the completion of the towers, the ornamentation, and other internal work by his architect Emmanuele Héré. In addition, this later campaign led to the construction of the organ and its famous case between 1749 and 1752.

The Organ

Of particular interest, the organ is a rare example of an impressive case structure that shows no visible pipes. The unusual design was by the architect Emmanuel Héré. Instead, the pipes are behind a decor of columns, balustrades, and a trompe-l’oeil fresco representing the “entrance to Paradise.” The original organ inside, built between 1749 and 1751, was by Nicolas Dupont of Nancy.

The instrument has had many changes over the years, including, most fancifully, the addition of a bass drum in 1823. Around 1850, the instrument was made into a larger romantic instrument to accomodate the music of the era. Further modifications took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1991, the instrument was removed in order to allow for a refurbishment of the impressive organ case. This led to a restoration of the instrument, as close as possible to the original, by Bertrand Cattiaux and Laurent Plet. The inauguration of the new instrument took place on May 4, 2003.

The Stamps

In 2012, the organ of Saint-Jacques of Lunéville was became the subject of not one, but two postage stamps and a commemorative souvenir sheet. The entire design is down to look like a hand drawing, with the stamps in full color and the rest of the sheet in black and white. One stamp, showing the top of the case, has the value of .89 euros. The second, showing one of the putti on the lower section of the case has the value of 1.45 euros. The stamps became available on November 12, 2012. The design for the souvenir sheet and stamps is by Elsa Catelin.

Make sure to check out the impressive sound of this organ!