Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

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Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois
Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

The Church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois is situated at 2, Place du Louvre, Paris 75001; the nearest Métro station is Louvre.

Located at the center of Paris, by the Seine and near the Louvre, this old parish of kings de France is generally regarded as the Church of the Louvre. Founded in the 7th century, it was altered many times over several centuries, revealing several mixtures of style, Roman, Gothic, Renaissance. Among the treasures preserved inside are a wooden 15th century statue of Saint Germain, a Saint-Vincent of stone carved at the same time, a Flemish retable out of wooden carved, the famous churchwarden's pew where important people sat, manufactured in 1683 by François Le Mercier on drawings of Charles Le Brun.

On the night of August 23, 1572, its bell called "Marie" sounded the beginning of the massacres of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Thousands of Protestants were killed by Catholics, the episode culminating in the Wars of Religion which darkened France, lasting several centuries. Splendid stained glasses still remain in spite of plunderings of the French revolution.

48°51′34″N 2°20′28″E / 48.85944°N 2.34111°E / 48.85944; 2.34111