Église Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois de Paris

Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, originally a church in the era of the 7th century Merovingian Kings, was the historic parish church of the Kings of France. The bell tower of the church is dated from the 12th century. Much of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century.

Timeline

23 August 1572 - At the start of the Fourth War of Religion (1572-1573), its bell called "Marie" sounded in the night, marking the beginning of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
1789 to 1793 - Following the French revolution Louis XVI was forced to return from the Palace of Versailles to Paris, where the future Louis XVII recieved his first communion. Louis XVI was condemned to death by the National Convention on 20 January 1793, and executed the following day. The church was used as a storehouse for supplies, as a police station, and as a factory for the manufacture of saltpetre during the course of the Terror.
14 February 1831 - 11th anniversary of assassination of the Duke de Berry. Anti-monarchists, used the occasion to vandalise the church and deface monuments, following which action the church was closed for a number of years.
1839 - La verrière de la Passion was the first Neo-Gothic style window in Paris. The stained glass window has 14 scenes comparable to work in the Sainte-Chapelle.

1st arrondissement of Paris

The 1st arrondissement is located along the Right Bank of the River Seine; it extends onto the western section of the Île de la Cité in the middle of the river, across the Pont Neuf. It has architectural styles:

Art Nouveau

To the east of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois is the old Art Nouveau style La Samaritaine department store.

Gothic

Flamboyant Gothic porch of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, which was built in 1435.
Gothic Revival Belfry to the north of the church, Le Carillon de la Place du Louvre, constructed by Théodore Ballu.
The west facade and rose window of the Mairie of the 1st Arrondissement makes it symmetrical to the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois.

Classical

The Hôtel Ritz building was constructed in the 18th century. Robert Langdon, the protagonist, of The Da Vinci Code stayed at the hotel (the starting place of the novel).
The west front of the church faces the Louvre Palace.
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.

Claude Monet

In the spring of 1867 Claude-Oscar Monet (1840-1926) was granted official permission to install himself and his easel in an east end balcony of the Louvre. The resulting paintings are Monet's earliest images of Paris:

St. Germain-l'Auxerrois (Staatliche Museen, Nationalgalerie, Berlin) - as with his series of views of the Rouen Cathedral (1892-1894) - a Gothic rose window is a key feature of the painting. The flamboyant 19th-century neo-Gothic tower is missing, however, the historic bell tower, which signalled the start of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre is included (seen directly above the shaded side of the roof gable).
Quai du Louvre (Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague)
Garden of the Princess, Louvre Le Jardin de l'Infante (Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College)

Images on Camera and Canvas