Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, originally named Saint-Louis-des-Jésuites, was built between 1627 and 1641 in the Paris Marais (4th arrondissement), on the order of Louis XIII. Designed by Jesuit architects Étienne Martellange and François Derand, it replaces an overly small chapel and rises partly on the site of the former Rochepot hotel, given to the Jesuits in 1580. The first stone was laid by Cardinal Richelieu in 1627, and the first Mass was celebrated there in 1641. The building, inspired by the Gesù of Rome, combines Italian influences (55 m cupola, abundant light) and French traditions (Latin cross, Gothic verticality).

The present dual title comes from the Revolution: the former parish church Saint-Paul-des-Champs (founded in 1125, destroyed in 1797) merged in 1803 with the Jesuit chapel, by decision of the council of manufacture and the cardinal of Belloy. The site, marked by revolutionary events (cult of Reason, graffiti of the Commune), becomes a symbol of religious resistance. Classified as a historic monument in 1887, the church houses artistic treasures such as Christ in the Garden of the Olives of Delacroix (1827) or a painful Virgin of Germain Pilon (1586).

The history of the place is linked to major figures: Louis XIII (commander), Richelieu (consecration), Bourdaloue (predicator buried in the crypt), or Victor Hugo (mergers offered for the marriage of his daughter in 1843). The crypt preserves the burials of Jesuits (including François d'Aix de La Chaise, confessor of Louis XIV) and nobles like the Duchess of Elbeuf. The classified organ and the baroque stained glass windows (restored since 2017) bear witness to its cultural influence.

Architecturally, the facade combines Gothic verticality and Flemish ornaments, inspired by Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais. The stretch transept and the dome recall Carlo Maderno, while the slender proportions evoke French Gothic. Recent restorations (2011-2025) concern glass windows, the upper cross (56 m), and entrances. The church, always active, perpetuates its parish and artistic role, welcoming concerts and ceremonies.

The site is also a literary place: Victor Hugo places there the marriage of Cosette and Marius in Les Misérables. Organs, including the great buffet of 1867 (40 games), and works of art (bas-reliefs by François Anguier, paintings by Philippe de Champaigne), make it a jewel of Parisian heritage. The sacristy even houses a Crucifixion from the chapel of the Bastille, a tangible link with the tormented history of Paris.

External links