The Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is a church on rue Saint-Antoine in the Marais quarter of the 4th arrondissement of Paris (France). The present building was constructed from 1627 to 1641 by the Jesuit architects Étienne Martellange and François Derand, on the orders of Louis XIII of France.
It was the first church in Paris to break away entirely from the Gothic style and to use the new Baroque style of the Jesuits, and it had an important influence on Parisian religious architecture. It gives its name to Place Saint-Paul and its nearest Metro station, Saint-Paul. Next door to the church is the Lycée Charlemagne, also founded by the Jesuits.
The façade was clearly influenced by the new Italian baroque style, particularly the Church of the Gesù in Rome, the mother church of the Jesuit order, but it also had a major influence closer to home; the 1618 façade of the église Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais de Paris by Salomon de Brosse, which has the same design of three bays with two levels on the side bays and three levels for the central bay, highlighted by a projection and doubled columns.
It uses Corinthian columns on the two lower levels and composite order. The dome was an unusual feature for a Jesuit building; both the dome and bell tower, fifty-five meters high, are largely hidden from view from the street by the very high façade. Another notable influence was the Flemish Baroque style, more lavish than the Italian style, seen in the abundance of sculpture and ornamant covering the façade.
The dome of the church is 55 meters high, and was one of the first to be constructed in Paris. It served as a model for other domes, including those of Les Invalides and Val-de-Grace.
Address: 99 Rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris, France
Hours:
Thursday 8 AM–8 PM
Friday 8 AM–8 PM
Saturday 8 AM–8 PM
Sunday 8 AM–8 PM
Monday 8 AM–8 PM
Tuesday 8 AM–8 PM
Wednesday 8 AM–8 PM
Phone: +33 1 42 72 30 32
Architectural styles: French Baroque architecture, Italian Baroque architecture
Architects: Étienne Martellange, François Derand
Opened: 1641
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