★★★★★ 5.0
Discover
Saint-Eustache Church
That left tower houses a 200-kilogram bell cast entirely from melted-down water pumps that once operated beneath the Pont-Neuf. You're standing before Saint-Eustache, where this unusual recycling project from the 18th century still chimes over the former Les Halles marketplace. This massive Gothic structure stretches 100 meters in length, making it Paris's second-largest church after Notre-Dame, yet what's truly wild is that it took 105 years to complete but the architects never deviated from the original 1532 plans. The facade you see was completely rebuilt in 1854 after the entire front started cracking and sinking into the marshy ground beneath. Inside, you'll discover France's largest pipe organ with over 8,000 individual pipes, where young Louis XIV received his first communion and Mozart held his mother's funeral. The Gothic nave conceals Renaissance treasures, including a Rubens masterpiece and a Versailles tapestry that was literally forgotten in the church's attic until 1926. This spot has been holy ground since 1223, when fish merchant Jean Alais used his market taxes to build the original chapel right here in the heart of Paris's ancient food market district.
Did You Know?
- Saint-Eustache Church was the site of several major historical events, including the baptism of Cardinal Richelieu, the marriage of Louis XIV’s mother, and the funeral of Mozart’s mother—making it a silent witness to the lives of some of Europe’s most influential figures.
- The church is a stunning architectural hybrid: it blends soaring Gothic vaults and a grand nave with Renaissance and classical decorative elements, and even features a French Renaissance facade reconstructed in 1854 after structural issues—yet the original architect remains unknown.
- Hidden in the attic until 1926, a magnificent tapestry originally woven for the chapel of Versailles was rediscovered and now adorns the south transept, adding a royal touch to this already art-rich church.