Church of Saint-Sulpice

The Saint-Sulpice church, built between 1646 and 1870, replaced a 12th century sanctuary. The style chosen for the new church is classicism with many Corinthian elements.

About this building

The current Saint-Sulpice church was built on an old church whose existence is attested in the 13th century. Anne of Austria laid the foundation stone on February 20, 1646. The work was suspended from 1678 to 1719 due to the bankruptcy of the Fabrique. The construction site was able to resume thanks to the priest of the Jean-Baptiste Languet parish in Gergy. Gian Nicolo Servadoni won the competition for the construction of the western facade, which was never really completed. Dome painted by François Lemoyne in 1732. The walls and vaults of the chapels, but also the arms of the transept, were decorated between 1820 and 1880 by artists such as Alexandre-Denis Abel de Pujol, Auguste-Jean-Baptiste Vinchon and Delacroix. The organ case was made at the end of the 18th century based on Chalgrin's drawings. The organ itself was completely rebuilt by Cavaillé-Coll.

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Stained glass
  • Monuments
  • Interior features
  • Atmosphere / quiet space
  • Churchyard
  • Social heritage
  • Famous people or stories

Visitors information

  • Bus stop within 100m
  • Level access to the main areas
  • Parking within 250m

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/DXR

Saint-Germain-des-Près

The church is part of an old Benedictine royal abbey dating from the 6th century. The building was rebuilt by Abbot Morard in the 10th century. The current choir was built in the middle of the 12th century and consecrated by Pope Alexander III. Conventual buildings successively rebuilt during the 13th century. After the Revolution, the church lost its status as an abbey church to become a parish abbey. Reconstructions carried out between 1821 and 1854. Church classified as a historical monument by list in 1862. Remains of the former abbey classified in 1953. Saint-Germain-des-Prés church is the oldest of the great Parisian churches.

Wikimedia Commons/NickK

Sorbonne Chapel

The Chapel Sainte Ursule de la Sorbonne or more simply the Sorbonne Chapel is a constituent building of the Sorbonne courtyard. It was the private chapel of the college of the Sorbonne then of the university faculties of Paris in the 19th century. The present chapel was rebuilt in the 17th century by Cardinal de Richelieu and was also his mausoleum. The plan of the former medieval chapel is still visible in the main courtyard of the present Sorbonne, marked with crosses. The foundations of this chapel, consecrated in 1326, were found during the reconstruction of the Sorbonne in 1897.

Wikimedia Commons/Benchaum

Église Saint-Séverin

The church of St. Severin has been a parish church since the 9th century. The Gothic building dates mainly from the 15th century when the church had to be rebuilt after the previous one burnt down. However, the bell tower, the three western bays and parts of the façade have been preserved from the 13th-century building. The ambulatory, which is doubled in size due to the five naves, is considered to be the most architecturally valuable part of the church, while the modern stained glass windows are certainly one of the church's attractions.