Eglise Saint-Germain de Charonne, a charming church in the 20th arrondissement

Do you remember the final scene in Georges Lautner's film Les Tontons Flingueurs? The scene in which the five Tontons Flingueurs kneel in church, while outside, on the steps, a car explodes? Well, this church is none other than theEglise Saint-Germain de Charonne, in the 20th arrondissement!

The history of this church goes back centuries before the mythical 1963 shooting. According to legend, theEglise Saint-Germain de Charonne was built on the site of a small oratory marking the meeting in 430 of Saint Germain and Sainte Geneviève, the future patron saint of Paris.

Little remains of those bygone days, apart from the tower's large 12th-century pillars. The rest of the architecture dates from the 15th and 17th centuries. TheEglise Saint-Germain de Charonne has undergone many transformations, following successive fires that ravaged it. This religious edifice was at the center of theold village of Charonne. It was even the highest point of the village, offering at the time a magnificent panoramic view of Paris and the surrounding area.

TheEglise Saint-Germain de Charonne is also worth a visit for its cemetery, as it is one of the last intramural churches to have one since the municipal decree reducing the presence of cemeteries in the city for sanitary reasons.

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Built on an unstable layer of clay, the church had stability problems. In fact, it's only since 2016, after years of work, that it's been possible to visit it again! During this work, archaeological excavations were carried out and led to the discovery of 370 ancient burials, some dating back more than 1,000 years!

TheEglise Saint-Germain de Charonne, now a listed monument, is a church that has retained its charm of yesteryear as a small country church on the village square!

Last but not least, this cute church was featured in films other than Les Tontons Flingueurs: Le Cave se Rebiffe with Jean Gabin, Une Veuve en Or by Michel Audiard and Au Bon Beurre by Edouard Molinaro.