Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois is situated at 2, Place du Louvre, Paris 75001; the nearest Métro station is Louvre-Rivoli.

Located at the center of Paris, by the Seine and near the Louvre, this former parish of the kings of France is generally regarded as the Church of the Louvre. Founded in the 7th century, it was altered many times over several centuries, revealing several mixtures of style, Roman, Gothic, Renaissance. Among the treasures preserved inside are a wooden 15th century statue of Saint Germain, a Saint-Vincent of stone carved at the same time, a Flemish altarpiece carved out of wood, the famous churchwarden's pew where important people sat, made in 1683 by François Le Mercier from drawings by Charles Le Brun.

On the night of August 23, 1572, its bell called "Marie" sounded the beginning of the massacres of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Thousands of Protestants were killed by Catholics, making this one of the central episodes in the Wars of Religion which darkened France and lasted several centuries. Splendid stained glass still remains, in spite of plunderings during the French revolution.

Alexandre Boëly was organist at the church from 1840 to 1851.