Saint-Séverin Church, in the Latin Quarter

Getting to theEglise Saint-Séverin is like stepping back in time to old Paris. To reach the building, you have to wander through the winding streets of the 5th arrondissement. And the church itself recalls a bygone era, bathed in a medieval atmosphere, with its square bell tower and numerous Gothic gargoyles.

Built in Merovingian times, around 650, as a tribute to the hermit monk Saint-Séverin,Eglise Saint-Séverin is the oldest church on the Left Bank. Destroyed by the Vikings, it was rebuilt in the 13th century in the flamboyant Gothic style still visible today.

Saint-Séverin soon became the home of the students of theUniversity of Paris, created by Philippe Auguste in the late 12th century, and the seat of their assemblies. It was also thechurch of travelers, as it was located near the bridge linking the Left Bank to the Ile de la Cité. A fire partially destroyed it in 1448, but the church was subsequently beautifully rebuilt.

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During the French Revolution, theEglise Saint-Séverin, like most churches, lost its function as a place of worship and was transformed into a gunpowder depot, then a warehouse for fodder and bells. It's worth noting that Macée, one of the oldest bells in Paris, cast in 1412, can still be found under the church steeple!

During your visit, don't hesitate to take a stroll through the garden, which from the 15th century onwards served as a cemetery for Parisian notables and ordinary people alike. Archaeologists have even found traces of sarcophagi dating back to the Middle Ages, proving the existence of a cemetery here even before the 15th century! Don't miss the double ambulatory and the beautiful twisted column inside the church.

And for a little anecdote, it was in the cemetery of theEglise Saint-Séverin that the first surgical operation for stone disease (kidney stones) was performed in January 1474. Louis XI gave the go-ahead for the operation, and it was performed on a man condemned to death - who was promised a pardon if the operation was successful. And it worked!