The Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, a stone's throw from the Pantheon

After a visit to the Eglise Saint-Séverin (featured here), why not head up to Mont Sainte-Geneviève, a stone's throw from the Panthéon, to discover another church, theEglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont? Especially as (teasing!) the church conceals a well-kept secret, which we'll tell you about in a moment. But first, a little history!

TheEglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont was built between 1492 and 1626 next to theformer Eglise Sainte-Geneviève, which had become too small to accommodate all the beautiful people who came to confession and mass. It was in this former church that Clovis and his wife were buried. TheEglise Sainte-Geneviève was subsequently destroyed in 1808, and only a few traces remain, such as the Clovis Tower, its former bell tower.

As theEglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont took almost three centuries to complete, there were several architectural styles used in its construction: Gothic and Renaissance. The facade of the church was subsequently renovated in the mid-19th century by Victor Baltard, who a few years earlier had already renovated theEglise Saint-Eustache after the terrible fire that ravaged it.

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Not to be missed during your visit are the great organs, the pulpit, the two spiral staircases and the secret mentioned above: a marvellous rood screen (used for reading the Gospels before the pulpits appeared) built in the 1540s, which resisted the demands of parishioners in the 18th century for its demolition, arguing that it hid the choir. This rood screen, as beautiful as fine lace, is the last in Paris, and one of the last 9 in France!

Since 1803, theEglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont has been home to the relics of Sainte-Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris; and the philosopher Pascal and the playwright Racine were both buried here!