Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Pres
Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Pres
4.5
About
One of the oldest churches in the city, this cathedral's interior is highlighted by a series of colorful frescoes.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
In Saint-Germain-des-Prés, life is effortlessly chic and all things are beautiful. The main boulevard is dotted with famed terraced cafés, haut-couture shops, ivy-covered railings and fine-dining restaurants. Antique dealers and art galleries surround the fine art school and small museums hide in unassuming squares. The neighborhood’s namesake church is the oldest in Paris and is the backdrop for talented musicians every weekend. The Luxembourg Gardens house the national senate, splendid lawns and flourishing flower beds. Famous faces and bourgeois Parisians frequent Saint Germain accompanied by the students of Rue Saint Guillaume and Rue des Saints-Pères. This is a neighborhood where afternoon people-watching from a café or playing cards in a brasserie are a key part of the daily fabric.
How to get there
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés • 1 min walk
- Mabillon • 3 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
428 reviews
Excellent
209
Very good
176
Average
39
Poor
4
Terrible
0
doctorbobster
Gainesville, FL978 contributions
Feb 2022
Disclaimer: I love a good medieval church.
If you are walking the 6th Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Walk over. The church encloses a great space with classic gothic architecture, medieval religious art, pipe organ, altar and that special sense of peace a space like this offers. When we were there, we were treated to several displays of the pipe organ at work...it was beautiful.
You should take a look.
If you are walking the 6th Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Walk over. The church encloses a great space with classic gothic architecture, medieval religious art, pipe organ, altar and that special sense of peace a space like this offers. When we were there, we were treated to several displays of the pipe organ at work...it was beautiful.
You should take a look.
Written February 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria
189 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
Charming medieval church. What makes this one unique among all of Paris' other medieval churches are paintings (dating later than the medieval period), especially the blue ceiling that's decorated like a night sky. The bible scenes painted all around the tops of the arches are impressive too.
Written February 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beachlovernc2015
Leland, NC2,045 contributions
Apr 2023
We so enjoyed walking through this church. It is in the neighborhood of some historic cafes so this neighborhood is one to be enjoyed as well. The church has been restored beautifully and the colors are vivid. The pillars draw your eyes upward - stunning! There are many, many historic churches in Paris but this was by far our favorite.
Written June 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FaboFinds
Paris, France172 contributions
Apr 2014 • Friends
St Germain des Pres which currently lies in Paris proper has not always been in the city. It is now located in the famous latin quarter. When it was first built in 500’s it was actually outside the mid-evil city. It was located in the fields and that it how it gained the ‘des pres’ part of it’s name. The church was built on behest of Childebert (a French King), to house a piece of the true cross that was ‘won’ from Spain. For years, it was where the kings of France choose to be buried. The kings have now all be located to St Denis.
An abby was also built along with the church. The abby was destroyed in the revolution and the church was somehow spared. The inside was left in pretty bad shape as the church was used by the revolutionists to store salt peter. The oldest part of the current church that is standing is the tower, it was built in a Romanesque style. The church was last renovated in the 19th century by Victor Baltard and painter Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin.
The church contains many interesting graves, including William Douglas 9direct decedent of king James I) a Scottish mans who came to France in exile, his grandson Lord James Douglas, a Scottish man that was sent to the court French court to serve Louis XIII at a young age as a page, philosopher René Descartes, and John II Casimir Vasa, who was king of Poland in the 17th century until he became the abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
The church holds one of the oldest organs in France and the buildings acoustics are well known, as they host many concerts though the year. I would recommend finding the little courtyard to the left of the nave (tall tower), entrance across from Café de Flore. It contains many of the older pieces that were salvaged from the church and abby.
An abby was also built along with the church. The abby was destroyed in the revolution and the church was somehow spared. The inside was left in pretty bad shape as the church was used by the revolutionists to store salt peter. The oldest part of the current church that is standing is the tower, it was built in a Romanesque style. The church was last renovated in the 19th century by Victor Baltard and painter Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin.
The church contains many interesting graves, including William Douglas 9direct decedent of king James I) a Scottish mans who came to France in exile, his grandson Lord James Douglas, a Scottish man that was sent to the court French court to serve Louis XIII at a young age as a page, philosopher René Descartes, and John II Casimir Vasa, who was king of Poland in the 17th century until he became the abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
The church holds one of the oldest organs in France and the buildings acoustics are well known, as they host many concerts though the year. I would recommend finding the little courtyard to the left of the nave (tall tower), entrance across from Café de Flore. It contains many of the older pieces that were salvaged from the church and abby.
Written May 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ehartlin
252 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
This cathedral is just lovely. The ceilings are similar to the ones you would see at Notre Dame. Since Notre Dame will be closed for sometime, make sure to visit the many churches throughout Paris.
Written May 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CPaM68
Texas686 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
Another great Paris church within the heart of fashionable Saint Germain. Reportedly the oldest church in Paris, it exudes history and is definitely a must-see for any history or architecture lover. The interior is truly fascinating (note the interesting murals that are currently undergoing some much needed restoration). It’s located right by a Metro stop and across the street from several famous Paris cafes. We love touring European churches and cathedrals, and when we come back to Paris I’m sure we will visit this one again. If you are in or near Saint Germain you should stop in and give it a look.
Written December 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LilyCase
9 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
Of all the things we did and saw in Paris, my husband and I loved this church the most. It is one of the oldest churches in Paris and full of history. It's also not hectic and busy like Notre Dame. The church itself is quiet and definitely try and go to mass here if you are Catholic. They played some organ music after mass and it was truly wonderful and humbling. We loved this church so much we kept coming back when we wanted a nice, quiet and spiritual place to pray.
Written July 25, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J Teo
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia2,446 contributions
Dec 2015 • Friends
The Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the oldest church in Paris and the area of Saint-Germain derived its name from this abbey. Beneath the tower built in the 11th-century lies the remains of the Merovingian kings. No, not the French-speaking Merovingian program from the Matrix. It was the dynasty that ruled all of Gaul in the 5th and 6th century.
Right in a small part next to the abbey, sitting quietly and out in the open public, is a statue crafted by Picasso.
Right in a small part next to the abbey, sitting quietly and out in the open public, is a statue crafted by Picasso.
Written January 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donna K
Waukesha, WI444 contributions
May 2014 • Business
This is one of the oldest churches in Paris. You will enjoy spending some time in contemplation here while enjoying the Romanesque art. Take note of the bell tower which was built in 990 and is the oldest one in Paris.
Written May 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brad
Hong Kong, China174,572 contributions
Dec 2013 • Couples
St. Germain des Pres is one of the oldest church locations in Paris, with its origins reaching back to mid sixth century. Historically, this was a very powerful Benedictine Abbey as well as the sight of the massacre of 318 priests, killed by a mob during revolutionary times in 1792.
From the outside, due to the tight building configurations, you can't appreciate how large the church is. However, when you enter, you discover a very large nave with high panel frescos. These are a bit difficult to see in the early hours of the day unfortunately. The nave features classic Gothic high ceilings and vaulted arches. As you enter, there is a panel map showing you were the church highlights can be found as well as a paper handout (various languages) providing a brief history of the church.
Outside the church, you can see a single tower (originally there were four) and a decent church facade. There was also a small Christmas market bending around the church along Blvd. St. Germain. This was enjoyable to visit after our visit to the church.
Overall, while not on par with seeing Notre Dame Church, we did like our visit St. Germain des Pres, finding it to be a nice way to spend half an hour.
From the outside, due to the tight building configurations, you can't appreciate how large the church is. However, when you enter, you discover a very large nave with high panel frescos. These are a bit difficult to see in the early hours of the day unfortunately. The nave features classic Gothic high ceilings and vaulted arches. As you enter, there is a panel map showing you were the church highlights can be found as well as a paper handout (various languages) providing a brief history of the church.
Outside the church, you can see a single tower (originally there were four) and a decent church facade. There was also a small Christmas market bending around the church along Blvd. St. Germain. This was enjoyable to visit after our visit to the church.
Overall, while not on par with seeing Notre Dame Church, we did like our visit St. Germain des Pres, finding it to be a nice way to spend half an hour.
Written January 1, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
its not called after German Saints. Germain was a popular name once upon a time and it means "brother". During Medieval Times one Abbot called Germain win from the king the site to construct an Abby. This permision to construct can be looked at National Arquives. Years later the Black Pest the Church made him Saint Germain and he is one of the patrono saints of Paris, like Sainte Genevieve, Saint Severin and Saint Maur.
Written July 21, 2018
Are there Mass services held in this church, if so what days/times.?
Thank you
Written February 19, 2015
Are there Mass services held in this church, if so what days/times.?
Thank you
Written February 19, 2015
Monday through Saturday - 12:15 pm and 7:00 pm
Sunday - 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 5:00 pm (in Spanish), 7:00 (for children)
Written February 19, 2015
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