Paris and its attractions (churches and cathedrals)
Our acquaintance with Paris began with the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, where the famous Saint-Denis Basilica is located, built on the site where Bishop Denis came from Montmartre holding a severed head. Kings and princes of France were buried in the Basilica. Currently, worship services are held here and there is a museum of tomb sculpture.
Sightseeing walking tours of Paris usually start from Place Parvey-Notre-Dame and the cathedral of the same name, which did not impress us, due to its wide popularity, total darkness inside and crowded (expected more). Next - along with the Palace of Justice is the Sainte-Chapelle chapel, which we could not get into because of the long queue.
Not far from the Seine, on the right bank, a Gothic tower rises alone - the bell tower of Saint-Jacques - all that remains of the church destroyed by the revolutionaries.
One of the most beautiful churches in Paris is Saint Eustache. Near the entrance to the church lies a huge stone head, leaning on the palm - the sculpture "Listener", near which, against the backdrop of the church, tourists like to take pictures. The church houses the largest organ in France.
In honor of the victories, Napoleon decided to erect a temple in the very center of Paris - the Madeleine Church. The church is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and resembles a Greek temple.
At the top of the Montmartre hill rises the Basilica of the Sacré -Coeur, one of the popular sights of Paris, built of white sandstone in the Roman-Byzantine style. The dome of the basilica is a good observation point, from where a panorama of Paris opens, where you can climb a spiral narrow staircase - 300 steps (the entrance is at the bottom on the left side - paid).
Many attractions are located in the Latin Quarter, and they are conveniently located close to each other and you can see the main ones in half a day.
To imagine the "flaming Gothic" well, there is no better object than the church of Saint-Severin. The history of the church goes back centuries. Built in the 11th century (earlier than Notre Dame! ). Lancet arches, the interior in the power of flaming gothic striking in its beauty. Tall windows are decorated with stained-glass windows of the late 15th century.
Opposite the church of Saint-Severin is not very attractive, but very ancient church of Saint-Julien-le-Povre with a rich history, belonging to the Greek Catholic Church.
The Pantheon is located in the same square, the building was built as a church in honor of St. Genevieve, the patroness of Paris, turned by the revolutionaries into the Temple of the Fatherland, after which it was repeatedly transferred to the church, and since 1885 - the tomb of the national heroes of France.
Behind the Pantheon is the most interesting church in Paris, Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, which combines various styles - Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, with a hinged gallery-passage, to which spiral staircases, decorated with white stone carvings, lead. In the church there is a shrine of St. Genevieve.
On the way we went to the Luxembourg Gardens - a rest that cannot be missed on your first visit to Paris.
On the site between the Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Germain Boulevard rises the most mysterious church in Paris, Saint-Sulpice. In its place was an ancient church (from the 9th century). From the 13th to the 15th century
the church was repaired and restored, and in the middle of the 17th century the construction of a new church began, which lasted 134 years. There is a large old organ in the church, concerts of organ and symphonic music are held here, Tchaikovsky liked to visit here, got married
Victor Hugo mentioned her in his novel Les Misé rables. A. Dumas in “Three Musketeers” D'Artagnan lived in the hotel opposite. Recently, a pilgrimage of tourists has begun to the church.
after the appearance of the novel by D. Brown and the film “The Da Vinci Code” (according to the documents of the Priory of Sion, the Rose Line passes here, under which there is a cornerstone and the Grail). The church is decorated with frescoes by E. Delacroix. We were there in the evening and it was not crowded.
Opposite the Church of Saint-Sulpice is one of the most ancient churches in Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Pré s, its history begins in the middle of the 6th century, for almost 1000 years a monastery existed here before the revolution (until 1794). In the 9th century the church was reconstructed. The church houses the tombs of Descartes and the Polish king Jan Casimir.
This ended our visit to the sights of Paris of cult destination.
