Tourist attractions in Paris : Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is a church located on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève , a hill on the left bank of the river Seine in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. The church also contains the tombs of Blaise Pascal and Jean Racine which were French mathematician and dramatist respectively. 

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The church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont originated in the abbey of Sainte-Genevieve, where the eponymous saint had been buried in the 6th century. In 1222, Pope Honorius III authorized the establishment of an autonomous church, which was devoted to St Etienne, the patron saint of the old cathedral of Paris. It was enlarged in 1328, but a complete reconstruction became necessary from the 15th century. In 1492, the monks Génovéfains donated a portion of their land for the construction of the new church. The construction was taken place over a period of more than 100 years and finally was dedicated on February 25, 1626 by Jean-François de Gondi, first archbishop of Paris. Nevertheless, developments continued: in 1636, the organ was installed, the work of Pierre Pescheur.

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During the French Revolution, the church was first closed and then turned into a "Temple of Filial Piety." Catholic worship was restored in 1801, benefiting from the Concordat _ an agreement between the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church and a sovereign state that deals with the recognition and privileges of the Catholic Church in a particular country. The abbey church of Sainte-Genevieve was demolished in 1807, only the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont and the bell tower of the abbey survived. Under the Second Empire, the church was restored by Victor Baltard.

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The interior of the church is characterized by its renaissance choir screen with double spiraling staircase of finely carved stone by Father Biard (1545) and the pulpit designed by Laurent de La Hyre and sculpted by Claude Lestocart. The organ is built and curved by Jehan Buron in 1631 and is the oldest in Paris.The church also contains the golden reliquary which used to hold the remains of Sainte Geneviève. Also notable is the sculpted tympanum over the front door of the church: the The Stoning of Saint Stephen, is the work of French sculptor Gabriel-Jules Thomas.


Text Source: wikipedia.org