The oldest church in Paris, whose porch tower dates back to the year 1000, stands over the crossroads that gave the district its name. Inside are a Romanesque nave, an early Gothic choir painted by Flandrin and a contemporary chapel by Buraglio.
The church at a glance
Founded in the 6th century by King Childebert I, on the remains of an ancient abbey that was one of the most powerful in France until the Revolution, the church keeps a porch tower dating from 990, among the oldest Romanesque remains in Paris.
Don't miss
In the early Gothic choir, one of the very first in the Île-de-France, Hippolyte Flandrin's murals are a masterpiece of 19th-century religious painting. Pierre Buraglio's contemporary chapel answers them with modern stained glass and furnishings, and René Descartes has been buried in the church since 1819.
Visiting tips
Come in the morning to enjoy the calm before the square fills up. Once the meeting place of the Existentialists, it is best watched from a café terrace. The church regularly hosts classical music concerts in the evening.
Close by
Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, the historic cafés of Sartre and Beauvoir, face the church. Rue de Buci has its market and lively terraces, and the Musée Delacroix, in the painter's former studio, is just round the corner.
