Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
We pass the north side of the church and turn left into Rue Mabillon, where a market building is on our right. From the north end of the street we walk a few meters along Rue du Four and have arrived at the famous Boulevard-Saint-Germain. We turn left and have in front of us the ancient Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
The oldest church of Paris, partly from 990-1021. For centuries it was one of the main churches of the Benedictine order. After the revolution it was for a while used as a saltpetre factory and became dilapidated.
The tower of the west front, the central nave and the north walls are still the same as almost ten centuries ago. The chancel is a little younger, from the 12th C., but the southern side, facing the boulevard, is from the 17th C. The church is one of few examples preserved in Paris of the Romanesque style, and the example that is most accessible to travellers.
