St-Gervais-et-St-Protais Church

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The church is located on Place Saint-Gervais in Paris

The St-Gervais-et-St-Protais Church of Paris sheltered one of the most famous dynasties of French musicians, the Couperin family, for more than two centuries, beginning in 1653.

On one side of the church, the house of the famous harpsichordists, organists, and composers still stands; a plaque commemorates the Couperins' tenure in this place. The organ used by Louis and François Couperin still exists today inside the church. Built by the most famous organ builders of the time, including François-Henri Clicquot, Louis-Alexandre Cliquot, and Robert Clicquot, it is a fine example of the French baroque style.

This church is one of oldest of Paris. Its existence at this place is mentioned as early as the 4th century. Dedicated to Gervasius and Protasius, the church was formerly the seat of the powerful brotherhood of wine merchants. It assumed its present appearance in the 16th century. Its façade would be completed much later, about 1620, testifying to a perfect control of traditional aesthetics.

[edit] The Crossroads of the Elm

The square, Place Saint-Gervais, located at the foot of the steps outside the church, was, for a long time, called the Crossroads of the Elm: since the Middle Ages, a venerable monarch of an elm, grew at its center. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood would exchange money there. Several ancient pictures of this elm still remain, in the stalls of the Church, and on some nearby buildings.

A view from the nave of the church towards the east

[edit] Medieval houses

One side of the church is skirted by the Rue François Miron, where two of the oldest medieval houses of Paris survive, at numbers 11 and 13. They date, most likely, from the 14th century. One can see the exposed wood of the half-timbered structures.

[edit] A wartime tragedy

On 29 March 1918, a German shell, fired by the long-range "Paris gun", fell on the church, killing 88 people and wounding 68 others; the explosion collapsed the roof when a Good Friday service was in progress. This was the worst single incident involving a loss of civilian lives during the German bombardment of Paris in 1918.