The fire at Notre-Dame in Paris, in April 2019, was perhaps one of the events that shook me the most. It made me realise how works of art are as beautiful as they are fragile, and how a small carelessness can even cost their destruction.
Some good news: after five years of works, Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024, more radiant than before. But in the meantime I discovered that Paris is a city full of beauty, of wonderful parks, interesting museums and many other churches worth a visit, alongside the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
For example?
If you love religious architecture and want to visit the most beautiful churches in Paris, in this post you’ll find the 7 churches you absolutely cannot miss, besides Notre-Dame.
Fancy discovering them with me?
Let’s go!
The Basilica of Saint-Denis, the first Gothic church in history
Among the churches to visit in Paris besides Notre-Dame, you can’t miss the wonderful Basilica of Saint-Denis. This building lies just outside the city and is one of the most beautiful and historically important churches of the capital.
It is in fact the burial place of the French kings and was for centuries deeply tied to the monarchy. If the kings were crowned in Reims, it was always at Saint-Denis that they were buried. That’s why in this basilica you can admire the funerary monuments of the sovereigns that survived the destruction of the Revolution.
But the real masterpiece of this Paris church is its architecture: it’s the first example of the Gothic style in history, conceived by Abbot Suger. If you want to know more, you can read my in-depth piece on what to see at Saint-Denis.
The Basilica of Saint-Denis is reachable by metro line 13, Basilique de Saint-Denis stop.
Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois: stories of massacres and art
I promised you a journey through history across 7 churches to visit in Paris. Yes, because the history of these buildings is as important as their architecture or the masterpieces they hold.
You can’t cross the history of Paris without talking about the wars of religion. And there’s one church that represents this era of violence more than any other: Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois.
This building rose between the 13th and 15th centuries, on an older church; the Baroque forms are instead the result of 18th-century works. It stands very close to the Louvre and was for centuries the parish of the French kings.
It was from the sound of its bells that the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre began, in which hundreds of Protestants lost their lives at the hands of Catholics. It was the night of 23-24 August 1572, and many had gathered in Paris to attend the wedding of the Catholic Marguerite de Valois (the future Reine Margot) to the Protestant Henry of Navarre (the future Henry IV). It was meant to be the event that reconciled the two faiths, and instead became one of the most infamous massacres in European history: it’s estimated that between 5,000 and 30,000 people died across France.
The church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois is mostly Flamboyant Gothic. The three portals and the bell tower date to the 13th century. Inside is the famous 15th-century wooden statue of Saint Germanus of Auxerre; the pulpit and the royal gallery date to 1684, while the great organ was built in 1771. The real beauty lies in the stained glass, some of it ancient, and in the great rose window of the façade.
You can reach this church by metro 1, Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre stop.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés: the forgotten abbey
This is one of the oldest churches in Paris, founded by the Merovingian king Childebert I (son of Clovis) as far back as 543.
The church was initially dedicated to Saint Vincent, whose relic it held, but was then destroyed by the Normans and rebuilt between 1014 and 1163. At its reconsecration it was dedicated to Saint Germain, the bishop of Paris who had wanted it alongside Childebert and who had been canonised.
Maybe you don’t know it, but the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés became the most powerful abbey outside the city: it stood beyond the walls and for centuries was an economic and cultural centre. Already in the 9th century it had a scriptorium, and it kept expanding until it controlled a vast territory that today corresponds to the district of the same name.
Sadly, the French Revolution played its part: it was here that, in the September 1792 massacres, hundreds of priests were slaughtered by the enraged mob, and a fire in 1794 completed the damage.
In the 19th century major restorations were carried out, including the questionable colouring of the interiors, recently returned to their original tones. In the Middle Ages many structural elements really were coloured and many churches almost entirely frescoed, but the 19th-century restorations accentuated the effect.
Even if today it’s hard to imagine this abbey outside Paris, since it almost disappears into the modern urban fabric, Saint-Germain-des-Prés remains a fundamental piece of the city’s history. I certainly couldn’t leave it off the list of churches to visit in Paris!
You can visit Saint-Germain-des-Prés by getting off at the metro 4 stop of the same name.
The Sacré-Cœur of Montmartre: a dome white as the clouds
During a walk in the picturesque district of Montmartre you can’t help but notice the famous Sacré-Cœur basilica. Construction began in 1875, after France’s defeat in the war against Prussia, partly as a vow for the country’s “salvation”.
Here’s a fun fact!
The Sacré-Cœur basilica stands on the hill of Montmartre, whose name is said to come from the martyrdom of Saint Denis: according to legend the saint, beheaded here, walked with his own head in his hands to the spot where the Basilica of Saint-Denis now stands. Impossible not to count it among the churches to see in Paris!
The most curious feature of the Sacré-Cœur basilica in Montmartre is the lack of a dominant style: it was completed in 1914 and consecrated in 1919, and the design changed several times along the way. The architect, Paul Abadie, chose a Romano-Byzantine style and the white Château-Landon stone, which on contact with rain releases a chalky substance and stays a brilliant white.
In front of the basilica stand the equestrian statues of Saint Louis and Joan of Arc. The interior isn’t especially rich, apart from the apse mosaic, one of the largest in the world. The dome, about 83 metres high, is the second-highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower, and from its top you enjoy a beautiful panorama.
The Sacré-Cœur basilica is reachable by metro line 2, Anvers stop.
Saint-Séverin, an unknown jewel in the Latin Quarter
The site where Saint-Séverin stands was already a place of worship in the 6th century: the hermit Séverin came here to pray, and there was an old Romanesque church, later replaced by the new Gothic structure.
Its current form is due to the rebuilding after the Hundred Years’ War, in the 15th century. The dominant style is Flamboyant Gothic, with large decorated windows; the church is famous for its jutting, imaginative gargoyles. Damaged during the Revolution, it was restored in the 19th century. Today it sits in the lively Latin Quarter, one of the most touristy in Paris. I’ve included it among the churches to see in Paris because it’s a few metres from Notre-Dame and, though small, I find it truly stunning.
The light filtering through the large windows forms ever-changing patterns on the Gothic arches, and the silence, compared with the chaos of the quarter, makes it a true sanctuary of meditation. I find the modern windows, from 1966, beautiful, each dedicated to a sacrament: if baptism is blue like water, for the priesthood red dominates, the flames of faith. They’re the work of the abstract painter Jean Bazaine.
My tip?
Besides visiting the interior, take a walk in the little garden behind, where Merovingian-era tombstones have emerged!
The church is reachable by metro 10 Cluny – La Sorbonne or metro 4 Saint-Michel stop.
The Sainte-Chapelle and its splendid stained glass
It’s true, this isn’t really a church but a palatine chapel. But I couldn’t leave it out of this list, since it’s a masterpiece unique in the world.
The Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX of France, remembered as Saint Louis. This sovereign spent a fortune to buy some of the most important relics of Christianity (including the Crown of Thorns) and built the Sainte-Chapelle to house them, inside what was then the royal palace, a short walk from Notre-Dame. The most incredible part is its magnificent 13th-century stained-glass windows, in vivid colours.
If you want to dig deeper, you can read my dedicated article or book a tour with tickets.
The Sainte-Chapelle is reachable by metro line 4 Cité stop, or RER B/C Saint-Michel stop.
Saint-Eustache: the “ugly” church
Criticism of Saint-Eustache existed already when it was being built. It’s certainly not the most beautiful church in Paris, but in my opinion it isn’t among the ugliest either: that’s why I’ve included it in the list of churches to see in Paris.
This enormous structure stands by Les Halles, the old city market. Until the 13th century it was dedicated to Saint Agnes, but then the relics of Saint Eustace were brought here and it changed name. Construction began in 1532, to give a temple worthy of a popular, busy quarter like Les Halles.
The aim was a church in which the Renaissance style of classical inspiration married the Gothic forms of the French Middle Ages. The façade was demolished and rebuilt, but it remains unfinished to this day, because the works stopped several times for lack of funds. This mix of styles earned it plenty of criticism: Viollet-le-Duc wrote that it looked like
”(…) a kind of Gothic skeleton dressed in Roman rags, sewn together like the cloths of a harlequin’s costume”.
Yet at Saint-Eustache some very important figures were baptised, such as Molière, Richelieu and Madame de Pompadour; the Sun King, Louis XIV, made his first communion here, and Colbert is buried there. It’s worth a visit: it’s an immense church, with sublime acoustics.
You can find it by getting off at Châtelet – Les Halles (metro 1, 4, 7, 11, 14).
Other churches to visit in Paris
Other beautiful churches in the capital are the Neoclassical temple of the Madeleine, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont and the immense Saint-Sulpice… but there are so many. I’ve mentioned these 7 because they’re the ones I love most, but there would be much more to say!
And if you want to keep travelling? Don’t miss the reborn Notre-Dame and the royal necropolis of Saint-Denis.
Which are your favourite churches in Paris?
