Paris, France – 10 most beautiful churches you should visit

In 2019, Notre-Dame de Paris, certainly the most iconic monument of Paris with the Eiffel Tower, was almost burnt down to the ground following an accidental fire which started in the attic. This was not the first time a fire started in the attic of a French cathedral (for instance, Notre-Dame de Chartre and Notre-Dame de Bon-Port in Nantes had to be rebuilt after terrible fires), but this was the first time it happened for Notre-Dame de Paris, and it was felt like a stab in the heart of many French citizens who would never have thought such an incident could happen.

Quite admirably, a lot of people in France and around the world offered their help to rebuild what was lost in the fire, and the cathedral will be restored, hopefully in its original shape. However, for the time being, Paris is missing its iconic cathedral, and tourists can no longer visit what used to be one of the most beautiful medieval cathedrals you could visit. But there are also a lot of other wonders to visit in Paris, especially when it comes to churches

Here is my list of the top 10 churches I advise you to visit in Paris.

1. Saint-Paul Saint-Louis

Paris, France: Saint-Paul Saint-Louis church

Saint-Paul Saint-Louis is a church located in Le Marais district in Paris. It was built under Louis XIII, the father of Louis XIV, in the 17th century.

Its facade was inspired by classical Italian architecture, while the dimensions of the cathedral is influenced by French Gothic architecture. The church interior is richly adorned, and the light rays coming down from the dome makes the white walls shine like marble on sunny days.

I really like how well proportioned it is. Unlike many other churches, it also looks intact, well-maintained, and it has a quite coherent architecture. It is also an important church in the history of France, since the first mass celebrated in the church was officiated by Cardinal de Richelieu, and “L’oraison funèbre du Grand Condé”, one of the most famous eulogies ever written in France, was pronounced by Bossuet in this church in 1687. Quite interestingly also, Jean-Jacques Olier, who later ordered the erection of Saint-Sulpice, was baptized in this very church.

Paris, France: Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, the choir

2. Saint-Eustache

Paris, France: Saint-Eustache

Saint-Eustache is one of the main churches in Paris regarding its dimension. Located near Les Halles, it is also one of the iconic churches of Paris. Yet, it has never been finished. Indeed, its construction started in the 16th century, but, due to financial issues, the original plans were never completed.

From the outside, it is a strange mix between late French Gothic architecture, Renaissance architecture, and French Baroque architecture. The facade was indeed totally rebuilt in the 18th century by Jean Hardouin-Mansart (the grandson of Jules Hardouin-Mansart), and never completed, hence the absence of a Southern tower.

Inside the church, what directly catches the attention is the verticality of the nave: it culminates 33 meters above the ground. This is roughly the same as Notre-Dame de Paris. The decoration is quite austere, though some chapels have kept their painted walls. The pipe organ is also majestic, standing high above the main entrance of the church.

It is the final resting place of famous French historic figures, such as Colbert (Minister under Louis XIV), Vaugelas (famous grammarian), Marivaux (a famous French playwright), Rameau (musician)…

3. Saint-Sulpice

Paris, France: Saint-Sulpice

Saint-Sulpice is maybe the most famous Parisian church after Notre-Dame de Paris, thanks to its appearance in the Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown. The previous church, which was standing where the current building is, was too small for the growing population of Paris. Jean-Jacques Olier, who was the main priest of the parish, obtained that a new church be built. After many debates, the construction began in the 17th century and stretched to the 19th century., though it was never totally completed.

Its classical architecture and its massiveness (it is the second biggest church of Paris, after Notre-Dame de Paris) make it stand out in the Parisian landscape. It was built to receive more than ten thousand people, like Notre-Dame de Paris, and you can certainly feel this when walking in the church.

Despite its central role in Paris, it is not the most richly adorned church you can see. The choir is well decorated with several statues of saints and important figures. The traditional chapel dedicated to Mary behind the choir is very richly decorated, and worth a visit. Yet, all the other parts of the church feel somewhat empty, maybe due to how vast the church is.

Victor Hugo and Adèle Foucher were married in this very church, and Armande Béjart, Molière’s wife (or daughter, there is still a debate about this) is buried there.

Paris, France: Saint-Sulpice, the ceiling

4. Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Paris, France: Saint-Etienne du Mont church

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont may be the most beautiful church of Paris, right after Notre-Dame de Paris. With its mix of French Gothic architecture and Renaissance architecture from the 15th century, it stands out as one of the most richly decorated churches one can see in Paris.

The masterpiece of the church is its old rood-screen, the last one remaining in Paris (they were all destroyed in the 18th century, as they were separating the clergymen from the laypeople). It also hosts the remains of Sainte-Geneviève, the Patroness of Paris, who used to be buried in an adjacent church, now demolished.

I love how the white walls of the church light up when the sun is high in the sky. It is truly magnificent. This is one church you definitely shouldn’t miss, especially if you plan to visit the Panthéon, which is located nearby.

5. Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris, France: Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the oldest churches in Paris, since its construction began around the 11th century. Once one of the most powerful abbeys of Paris, it used to be much bigger than it is now. But the wars, and the French Revolution, almost fully destroyed the abbey, and only the central church remains, with its main tower (there used to be three towers).

With its colorful mural paintings, its blue ceiling filled with golden stars, and its many monuments to historical figures who were buried there (Descartes, Boileau, Jean II Casimir Vasa, king of Poland), it is a place of high importance in the French history.

The first Merovingian kings also used to be buried there, before being moved to Saint-Denis.

6. Saint-Roch

Paris, France: Saint-Roch

Saint-Roch is one of the longest churches in Paris, and yet, many people never visit it. It was built in the late 17th century in a French Baroque architecture, and it is one of the most complete and stylistically-coherent churches you can find in Paris.

This church is very famous for two things:

• It has one of the most complete and beautiful collection of paintings you can find in Parisian churches, most of them attributed to Auguste Charpentier
• It is where Napoléon Bonaparte ordered his soldiers to open fire on Royalist insurgents, which killed around 300 people and ended the insurrection in 1795. Bullet impacts can still be seen on the facade of the church

Behind the choir, you can find a chapel dedicated to Mary, which was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Famous Frenchmen are buried there, among them Diderot and Fragonard.

7. Saint-Séverin

Paris, France: Saint-Séverin

Saint-Séverin is one of the oldest churches of Paris. It was built between the 13th and the 15th century. It is not a major church in Paris, yet I love how pure its Gothic architecture is.

The stain-glass windows are also wonderful. Some date from the 15th century. Around the apse, new stain-glass windows were installed in the middle of the 20th century. They look like organic material observed with a microscope. The result is beautiful, though some might also find it disturbing.

One thing which is quite uncommon: the church still has its own cemetery. In medieval days, people used to be buried around their church, until the plague arrived, and it was decided to keep the corpses far away from cities.

8. Saint-Augustin

Paris, France: Saint-Augustin

Saint-Augustin was built under Napoléon III between 1860 and 1871. It was supposed to become the last dwelling of the Bonaparte family members, a bit like what Saint-Denis was for the royal family.

Victor Baltard, one of the most famous architects then, drew the plans. Its architecture is quite eclectic, and somewhat disturbing, mixing different influences ranging from Tuscan architecture to Neo-roman architecture. However, it is one of the most visible churches in Paris, thanks to its high and large dome which had to be seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

One thing which is striking is how tall and yet narrow the building is: a prowess which was made possible by the use of iron, eliminating the need for buttress walls.

Paris, France: Saint-Augustin, the rose

9. Saint-Eugène Sainte-Cécile

Paris, France: Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile

Saint-Eugène Sainte-Cécile is quite a minor church in Paris, not that interesting from the outside, yet it is one of the most astonishing churches you can visit. It was built under Napoléon III in the 19th century, with a very limited budget. The facade of the church is inspired by French Roman architecture, though it was deemed as a “pastiche of bad taste” by Viollet-le-Duc at the time of its construction.

However, the interior of the church is so vibrant it can be a bit overwhelming. The use of iron enables the architects to design a church with very thin pillars, leaving a lot of space for richly painted decorations. The stain-glass windows are magnificent, and in a sense, one could believe this church to have been imported from Alsace, which is the only place in France where I have seen so colorful church interiors.

Though it is not a church you have to see, it certainly is worth a detour if you ever wander in the 9th arrondissement.

10. Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

Paris, France: Notre-Dame-De-Lorette

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette is not a church with a lot of historical importance, yet it is definitely a church worth a visit. It was built in the 19th century under Louis XVIII, and has a beautiful neoclassical architecture.

The church is very richly decorated, with paintings on every wall, and above all, a coffered wooden ceiling which looks like a giant maze in which your stare might get lost. Impressive!

Bonus: La Madeleine

Paris, France: La Madeleine church

La Madeleine is actually one of the main churches of Paris. It is most famous for being the church where a lot of famous musicians and singers’ funerals took place: Chopin, Offenbach (who used to live near the Opera Garnier), Saint-Saëns, Fauré, and more recently, Edith Piaf, Dalida, Henri Salvador and of course, Johnny Hallyday.

The church construction started under Louis XVI. According to the plans, it was then expected to look like the current Panthéon, with a huge dome in the center. However, the French Revolution happened, and the plans were abandoned. In 1806, while in Poland, Napoléon Bonaparte signed a decree so that La Madeleine would become a temple dedicated to the glory of the Grande Armée. After many debates, it was decided the building would be, from the outside, inspired by the Olympieion of Athens.

However, the Grande Armée was defeated, and so was Napoléon. The church wasn’t finished yet. Louis XVIII didn’t have enough money to finance the end of the construction, and Paris had to wait for Louis-Philippe, after the 1830 French Revolution, in order to see the construction of the church end. The legend says it was supposed to become a station at some point in the reflection about what to do of the building.

The interior was inspired by the Panthéon in Rome, with three light wells letting the light in. With its massive Corynthians columns, it really looks like some Roman temple mock-up, yet heavily decorated. The pipe organ is the most impressive one you can see in Paris.

Though from the outside, it might look austere, it’s definitely worth a visit.

Bonus 2: Sainte-Clotilde

Paris, France: Saint-Clotilde

This neo-Gothic basilica located in the heart of the 7th arrondissement may look like one of the oldest churches in Paris, but don’t be fooled: it was actually built in the middle of the 19th century.

It was originally planned to be named Saint-Charles, like Charles X, the king who ruled over France at the time the construction of a new church was decided to replace the old one, Saint-Valère, which was too narrow for the growing population.

It is dedicated to Saint Clotilde, the wife of the first Merovingian king of France, Clovis. The legend tells that Clovis decided to convert to Catholicism thanks to the persuasion of Clotilde. It was a major victory for Catholicism over Arianism, which was prevalent then among the Frank Christians.

The church has quite impressive dimensions: its height and its length make it one of the biggest Parisian churches. I especially like how the light pours into the nave, gloriously.

Paris, France: Sainte-Clotilde, the pipe organ