TheEglise Saint-Augustin has been under renovation in recent years, and Parisians rediscovered it in a new light at the start of 2018. An opportunity to look back at the history of this church with its rather... astonishing architecture.
TheEglise Saint-Augustin was built between 1860 and 1871 in a rather strange location for a religious building: at the crossroads of the boulevards Malesherbes and Haussmann. Until the Second Empire, this neighborhood was nicknamed"Little Poland", due to the poverty that reigned there. It was Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann who reshaped the area, which soon became the bourgeois district we know today.
Victor Baltard, famous architect of Les Halles, was entrusted with the project. Baltard was no stranger to renovating churches in Paris, but this was his first church-building project.
At the time, metal was seen as the material of the future. TheEglise Saint-Augustin thus became the first large church built with a metal frame covered by stone. Baltard made no attempt to camouflage the metal - quite the contrary.
The structure is not as visible as that of theEglise Notre-Dame-du-Travail, but still. Inside, the framework is visible at vault level. The church's pillars, meanwhile, are made of gilded cast iron and adorned withpolychrome angels. All these details give theEglise Saint-Augustin a strange, cluttered appearance, somewhere between industrial and more classical styles.
As for the architectural style, Baltard refused to choose just one. The nave is Romanesque, the choir and its dome are Byzantine, the ciborium is antique, and the porches are Neo-Romanesque. On the outside, the Eglise Saint-Augustin presents a Romano-Byzantine look for maximum impact, with its impressive rose window (covered in gold leaf since the latest restoration) and its graceful frieze.
In short, theEglise Saint-Augustin is unlike any other church in Paris. A blend of classical art and modern metalworking techniques, it remains intriguing to this day!
The most beautiful churches in Paris to discover on a stroll
Gothic, neoclassical, Romanesque, or even more contemporary styles, Paris’s churches tell centuries of history and architecture. Set out to discover the capital’s most beautiful churches! [Read more]
Dates and Opening Time
Next days
Tuesday:
from 08:30 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
Wednesday:
from 08:30 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
Thursday:
from 08:30 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
Friday:
from 08:30 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
Saturday:
from 09:00 a.m. to 07:30 p.m.
Sunday:
from 09:00 a.m. to 07:30 p.m.
Monday:
from 08:30 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
Location
Eglise Saint-Augustin
8 Avenue César Caire
75008 Paris 8
Route planner
Accessibility info
Official website
www.saintaugustin.net
The most beautiful churches in Paris to discover on a stroll
