Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church and Abbey Tour

Why a Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church & Abbey Guided Tour?

Because, although this Paris district is nowadays world-famous for its 20th-century golden age, Saint-Germain-des-Prés was historically, above all, a powerful independent abbey at the gates of Paris.

The church of Saint-Germain is the most spectacular remnant of the ancient abbey.

It is not only (with Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre) the oldest church in Paris; it is also an exceptional and unique witness of Capetian France's early Romanesque and early Gothic architecture.

The abbey-church is also worth a visit for its magnificent, newly restored 19th-century murals.

But the church is not the only remnant of the ancient abbey; less spectacular or visible ones can be found all around, and they are key to understanding the district.

The Saint-Germain-des-Prés Ancient Abbey

• The abbey's history since its foundation in the 6th century
• How the monks lived
• Who the abbots and priors were
• The rule of Saint Benedict: Ora, Labora, Lectio Divina
• The Congregation of Saint-Maur
• The importance and the influence of the abbey on arts, literature, history, and archaeology
• How the last superior-general of the congregation, Ambroise Chevreux, was butchered during the September Massacres ("massacres de Septembre") of 1792, during the French Revolution.

The Abbey Church

History & Architecture

• Merovingian period (late antiquity)
• Early Romanesque
• Early Gothic
• 17th-century vaults
• 19th-century restorations
• 20th-century Neo-Romanesque

Art & Ornamentation

• Merovingian columns
• Romanesque capitals
• Stained glass art evolution
• 17th-century paintings
• 19th-century fresco works

Symbolism & Liturgy

• The Importance of light
• Meaning of colors
• Purpose of church orientation
• Meaning of the position of sacred furniture
• Where and how people were buried

The amazing 19th-Century Flandrin Mural Work

After a five-year restoration program (2015-2020), the murals are now magnificent!

Flandrin was the favorite pupil of Ingres, the most famous 19th-century Neoclassical French painter.

In charge of the decorative side of the church's restoration, Flandrin developed and employed a hot wax, Renaissance-inspired painting technique.

The themes of the frescoes are exceptionally rich, as Flandrin was helped in their selection by a Jesuit art-history expert, Father Cahier. Below are some of the frescoes' themes:

• The Apostles
• The four Evangelists and the Tetramorph
• The seven Christian Virtues
• The historic figures of the church foundation etc.

Stained glass from the former Lady Chapel (destroyed during the French Revolution) representing Saint Germain, the founder of the abbey - MET collection New York - Two Lady Chapel stained glasses have been reinstalled in the choir of the Saint-Germain church.