A little history of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois church

Here we are in front of one of the oldest church on the right bank of the Seine, raised in the middle of swamps and fields.

First, a cross and a small oratory were raised on the location of the current church, where saint Germain, bishop of Auxerre, defended Geneviève, the future patron saint of Paris.

A chapel called Saint-Germain-le-Rond was built in 570, then rebuilt in the 11th century. A new church was begun in the 13th century, in order to replace the older one, way too little for people.

Hey, population increased very quickly, because when Philip Augustus raised the Louvre, lots of artisans moved in here.

They raised the choir in 1250, the apse between 1285 and 1300, and the portal and the chapel dedicated to Virgin Mary. Jean Gaussel, mason, added the porch in 1439.

During the Revolution, the church became a saltpetre factory, a barn and a printing house.

Did you know famous people were buried in here? Among them, lots of artist who lived near the Louvre: Le Vau, Gabriel, Soufflot, Coustou, Coysevox, Chardin...

Did you also know bells rang the beginning of the Saint-Bartholomew's Day massacre, in August 1572?