These monuments are the ones that keeps the wonderful architecture and history of a city today, and Paris is no difference. One of my most pleasurable moments is to visit the churches in my walks in my eternal Paris. And behold, found me new older pictures from my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me . Therefore, here is my take again on the Church of Saint Germain l’Auxerrois of Paris , part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
As I like history and architecture, I have seen plenty even if the numbers are unbelievable, keep trying to see them all. It is very close to the nerve center of tourism Paris. I leave the history to my first post on it and will tell you about the wonders inside the Church of Saint Germain l’Auxerrois. The church is located at place du Louvre facing the colonnade of the Louvre, and next to the City/town hall of the 1éme district or arrondissement corresponding to the oldest place of worship on the right bank, known in the 6C, under the name of Saint-Germain-le-Rond. Rebuilt in the 12C and 13C, the Romanesque base of the steeple remains from the 13C. Its overall harmony, which makes it one of the great Gothic monuments of the city of Paris. It was the parish of the kings of France due to its proximity to the Louvre. In the old regimes it was know as the Parish of the Artists! It was name after Bishop Saint Germain l’Auxerrois from the region of Auxerre in Burgundy today. It is served by the Louvre-Rivoli and Pont Neuf metro stations line 1 and 7 respectively.
The western façade of the Church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois dates from the late 15C.The porch, to the north and south, ends in two pavilions housing small function rooms. The large rose window was destroyed in the 18C to accommodate the gallery organ, then rebuilt during the 19C restorations. It is the only medieval church in Paris to have a façade porch. A first porch was built in the 14C, then a second, around 1435-1439 during the English occupation of the city. Finally, a third was built around 1490. Both outside and under cover, the porch is rich in lavish Gothic decoration featuring cabbage leaves, vine branches, dragons, lizards, and fantastical creatures. These multiple sculptures have survived virtually intact since the late 15C. The niches, grouped or isolated, all house modern statues with the exception of the much-degraded one of Saint Francis of Assisi. That of Saint Mary of Egypt is a modern copy of the original statue, now preserved in the Chapel of the Virgin.
The church’s high altar dates from the 19C. In the 18C, the cylindrical piers were fluted, the capitals carved in the shape of a garland, and the spandrels hollowed out. The parish website states that the crucifix and candlesticks were a gift from king Charles X in 1826. The king, who lived in the Tuileries, was a parishioner of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois.
The Chapel of the Virgin is located at the entrance of the church on the South side; It corresponds to four former 16C chapels gathered during the 19C. It presents the peculiarity, on the one hand to be isolated from the southern collateral by a woodwork, and on the other hand, unlike most of the other churches, not to be in the central axis of the church at the end of the apse. Its decoration dates back to the 19C, but there are several more anciently reported statues. It features a beautiful mural composition in the Italian Quattrocentro style, depicting the Assumption, and the Coronation of the Virgin. The altarpiece, designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, features an original Tree of Jesse carved in wood. The kings of Judah are each wrapped in a vine branch rich in leaves and vines. The canopy above the Tree houses a Virgin and Child attributed to the 14C Champagne School. This chapel houses the church’s two oldest statues: a 13C Saint Germain of Auxerre and a 15C polychrome Saint Mary of Egypt. Under the porch, only a copy of this statue can be seen. Mary of Egypt is depicted with the three loaves that, according to the Golden Legend, she took into the desert where she did penance for several years after leading a dissolute life.
The door of the old sacristy with frescoes under the protection of Saint Germain and Saint Vincent above the door , gilded wooden representation of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, ex-voto of the restoration of the church from 1836 to 1845. The glorification and charity of Saint Martin of Tours sharing his cloak with a poor man at the gates of Amiens, illustrating the words of Christ: “Date et dabitur vois” or Give and it will be given to you.
The Chapel of the Patron Saints had in the past many burials, including a vault for those who, having no particular burial, had obtained the right to be buried in the Church. During the redevelopment of the chapel in 1841, many coffins were found. The Chapel of the Patron Saints or Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist. Altarpiece from the 19C French School. Saint Vincent and Saint Germain, patron saints of the parish, surround the Trinity.
The work bench was made in the 1680s based on a design by Charles Le Brun. The non-cylindrical pillar that separates the first aisle from the second to the north . In the tympanum of the work bench, two angels surround a crown that receives two palms of martyrdom.
The official Church of Saint Germain L’Auxerrois: https://saintgermainlauxerrois.fr/
The Paris Tourist office on the Church St Germain l’Auxerrois: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/eglise-saint-germain-l-auxerrois-p1229
A unique site in French on tombs and burials of France with details work and wonderful pictures on the Church of Saint Germain l’Auxerrois: https://www.tombes-sepultures.com/crbst_1305.html
There you go folks, a wonderful inventory of history and architecture of Paris. One of the site to see in a gorgeous area of my eternal Paris. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church of Saint Germain L’Auxerrois of Paris, part II as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 