Cire Trudon
The company Cire Trudon , founded in 1643 as Maison de Cire Trudon , is the oldest wax manufacturer in the world. Cire Trudon delivered to the court of Louis XIV as well as to most of the major churches in France.
history
Claude Trudon
In 1643 Claude Trudon, a merchant from Picardy , arrived in Paris. Through a happy marriage, he became the owner of a boutique on rue Saint-Honoré , in the Saint-Roch district. There he not only works as a grocer, but also as a candle dealer and wax maker. He supplies candles for household lighting as well as for church communities. The candles are handmade at home, with our own know-how being developed. At the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV, the master Trudon founds a small family business that bears his name and will make the fortune of his heirs.
Jacques Trudon
Like him, his son Jacques becomes a candle druggist. In 1687, in the waterway from the court in Versailles, he was awarded the title of pharmacist-burner by Queen Marie-Thérèse. At that time, Trudon wax drew everyone's attention: it is carefully harvested in the beehive and then poured, which can lead to contamination. That is why it is "whitened" by water. The wax is then dried in long strips outdoors. As a result, the wax takes on a white color, naturally lightened by the sun's rays. Thus the burning flame of the candle illuminates the transparent edges of the wax.
Hierosme Trudon
In 1737 Hierosme Trudon took over one of the most famous wax factories of that era, then owned by Pean de St Gilles, the "Manufacture d'Antony for the bleaching of wax and the manufacture of candles", founded in 1702. Pean de St Gilles is the "main wax supplier of the King". Rich in the experience of his family, Hierosme puts his art at the service of the development of this huge workshop. He produces a wax of the highest quality using only the best crops of any beehive in the kingdom. He orders better and longer treatments directly from the farmers. The quality of the water, filtered through gypsum blocks and used to wash the wax, is a guarantee of purity. In addition, the manufactory imports the finest cotton to produce wicks that burn cleanly and regularly.
Trudon delivers to the court of Louis XIV as well as the great churches in France. More than a hundred workers now work in a large building - registered in the historical preservation register - in Antony before moving to the neighboring region of Bourg-la-Reine in 1971 . Trudon has become the leading wax manufacturer in the kingdom. In 1762 the engineer Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau praised the talent of Trudon and his manufactory as exemplary in his encyclopedic work "L'art du cirier" ("The Art of the Wax Maker").
This award goes to Charles Trudon, who was appointed by King Louis XVI. was ennobled to Count "Trudon des Ormes".
The Trudon archives still contain old recipes and tools for making and bleaching candles, Roman wrought iron and cast basins from the 17th century. On the wooden forms, decorated with the royal coat of arms, one can decipher inscriptions that indicate their destination: "Easter candles for the king's chapel in Versailles ", "Evening primrose for the king".
The House of Trudon supplied Versailles until the last phase of the French monarchy. Even in custody, Louis XVI. Candles from the wax manufactory. The coat of arms and the motto remain hidden under a layer of mortar to escape the revolutionary anger. Thanks to the quality of its products, the house of Cire Trudon survived this hectic time, the end of the Ancien Régime of the Empire. In the following century, Trudon also survived the introduction of gas for household lighting and the increased use of electric lighting.
In 1889, the manufactory was awarded a gold medal at the world exhibition .
Trudon today
The Cire Trudon still delivers candles to numerous churches, such as the parish church of Saint-Roch in Paris, where Trudon candles have been burning continuously since 1643.
The manufactory sells its products in France and abroad. Customers include the largest French and international luxury goods manufacturers ( Hermès , Cartier , Dior , Guerlain, Kenzo etc.) as well as numerous castles and upscale hotels. The candles are completely natural, the production takes place without paraffin and without other petrochemical substances. The absence of harmful substances guarantees a wax of remarkable quality and excellent tolerance for the diffusion of natural fragrances. In addition, the candles do not contain any substances on the Greenpeace OSPAR list.
Marie Antoinette , Napoléon and “Pourquoi naître esclave” by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux can be found as motifs for busts made of natural wax by Cire Trudon.