Rising above Franz-Liszt Square from its grand monumental staircase, the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church is one of the jewels of neo-classical architecture in the 10th arrondissement. Built in the 19th century in a neighborhood then undergoing rapid expansion, this majestic sanctuary hides surprising artistic treasures.
Built between 1824 and 1844 on the former Saint-Lazare precinct, a historic site where Saint Vincent de Paul himself established the Mother House of his congregation in the 17th century, the church was born to meet the population boom in the Chaussée d'Antin neighborhood and the Poissonnière district.
Project management was initially entrusted to Jean-Baptiste Lepère, but his son-in-law, the renowned architect Jakob Ignaz Hittorff (who also gave shape to Place de la Concorde), took over the project and infused it with grandeur, introducing his ramp system, now laid out as gardens.
Drawing on the architecture of ancient basilicas and Greek temples, Hittorff outfits the building with a majestic portico supported by pristine Ionic columns and two imposing twin towers rising to over 54 meters in height.
Did you know that Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church and Gare du Nord were designed by the same person? Indeed, Jacques-Ignace Hittorff was the architect behind these two major landmarks of the 10th arrondissement.
After completing the religious sanctuary in 1844, Hittorff was entrusted by the Compagnie du Nord with the reconstruction of the Gare du Nord between 1861 and 1865. The architect's imprint is visible in both buildings: the Neo-Classical antique revival and the bold integration of the era’s modern materials.
Inside, the church surprises with the richness of its decoration, a bold move for an era when neoclassicism favored white marble and restraint. Lift your eyes to the grand frieze of Hippolyte Flandrin, this monumental fresco nearly 90 meters long, painted on a gold backdrop that runs along the central nave and depicts a procession of 235 saints walking toward the choir.
We can't help but admire the bronze Calvary by François Rude, the famed sculptor of La Marseillaise from the Arc de Triomphe, who here carved the Christ on the Cross that dominates the main altar, or his enamelled lava plaques on the façade, recounting the steps of the Creation of the World and the Childhood of Christ.
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Location
Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church
5 Rue de Belzunce
75010 Paris 10
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Prices
Free
