The Church of Saint-Roch, a rich church in the 1st district

With its 126 meters long and its plan inspired by that of Notre-Dame-de-Paris, theSaint-Roch Church isone of the largest in Paris. Built on the plans of Jacques Le Mercier, the architect of the Sorbonne, during the construction of the Tuileries in the 17th century, the first stone of theChurch of Saint-Roch was laid in 1653 by Louis XIV himself! Due to a lack of financial means, the construction was only resumed in 1701 under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart and then Pierre Bullet, before finally being completed in 1740.

Of course, since theChurch of Saint-Roch took many decades to build, different architectural styles are mixed, such as the classical and the baroque style. Shortly before the French Revolution, works of art by great artists of the time were added to the building.

But the Revolution arrived, and with it the looting and destruction of religious monuments. The tomb of Diderot, buried in theChurch of Saint-Roch, was emptied and his remains were never found.

For the small history in the big History, it is on the steps of theChurch Saint-Roch that Bonaparte made machine-gun the royalist insurgents in 1795. Until the restoration of the building in 2000, one could still see bullet holes on the façade, symbols of the revolutionary conflicts.

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Fortunately, the interior decoration of theChurch of Saint-Roch was resumed just after the Revolution to mask the destruction. The church was then adorned with new paintings and sculptures, and many works of art from destroyed buildings were brought back, making it a true museum of religious art. All these works are still visible today, to the delight of visitors.

While the nave is rather classical and uncluttered, the choir and its magnificent vault painted by Adolphe Roger is well worth a visit. Don't miss the Chapel of the Virgin, baroque to perfection and topped with a beautiful oval dome decorated with a "Triumph of the Virgin" painted by Jean-Baptiste Pierre.

Finally, for music lovers, you should know that theSaint-Roch Church often organizes classical and religious music concerts .