What first strikes you about St-Étienne-du-Mont is the unique combination of towers and architectural details.

Many people probably find the church by accident while visiting the better-known Panthéon next door. We were intrigued by its interesting architecture and wanted to see more.

Inside, the most striking feature is the ornate rood screen, or ornamented altar screen that separates the choir from the nave. Dating from the 16th century, this unique screen and its decorated staircases dominate the sanctuary.

Don't miss the small cloister at the rear of the church. It contains magnificent stained glass dating from the 17th century. Not only is the glass beautiful, but it is at eye-level, allowing the visitor to appreciate the fine work.

Stained glass in St-Étienne-du-Mont

A chapel to Sainte Geneviève contains a reliquary, though her bones were burned during the revolution.

Two 17th century notables are buried in St-Étienne-du-Mont: dramatist Jean Racine, author of many classical tragedies, and Blaise Pascal, mathematician and religious philosopher, best known for his Pensées ("Thoughts") and his "wager" on the existence of God.

The church was built over more than a century, from 1492 to 1626. It is Gothic in design, with significant stained glass throughout. The site itself is much older and was formerly an abbey founded by Clovis (466-511).

St-Étienne-du-Mont is also home to a great organ, built in the 1600s and restored in the 1990s.

Métro: Cardinal Lemoine or Jussieu
RER: Luxembourg

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