Church of Saint-Merri (Eglise Saint-Merri) description and photos - France: Paris (Topic)

Church of Saint-Merri (Eglise Saint-Merri) description and photos - France: Paris. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Eglise Saint-Merri.

Photo and description

The Saint-Merry Church is located on the right bank of the Seine, a hundred meters south of the Center Pompidou, right next to the Stravinsky fountain. Sometimes it is called "little Notre Dame" - it is very similar to the main temple of Paris, and seven canons of the chapter of the cathedral served here.

The church was built from 1520 to 1612 on the site of the chapel in which the monk was buried - the hermit Saint Mederic, considered the patron saint of the right bank of the Seine. His remains are still in the local crypt. From the chapel-predecessor in the church, only one window has survived, overlooking the rue Saint-Martin.

The building was built in a typical French style of flaming Gothic. However, the lines of the interior are restrained and architecturally holistic. The church was reconstructed several times, in the 18th century Gothic elements were replaced by Baroque ones. For example, the choir was decorated with marble, as it happened a few years earlier in Notre Dame de Paris. In 1703-1706 Bartolomeo Rastrelli created a tombstone of the Marquis de Pomponne sculpted from marble here, but it was completely destroyed during the French Revolution. At that time, a saltpeter factory was located here. However, the oldest Parisian bell on the bell tower (cast in 1331) managed to survive not only the revolution, but also the fierce battles during the uprising against the July monarchy in 1832 - barricades were erected near the temple.

The interior of the church is widespread. used paintings by French masters, classical and modern sculpture. Above the altar of the left transept is the painting of the now almost forgotten Simon Vouet "Saint Mederic Liberating Prisoners." Nearby is a painting by Guillaume-Francois Colson, painted a century and a half later, "Saint Charles Borromee giving communion to a plague patient" (1819). In Saint-Merry there is a magnificent Pieta, a scene of the mourning of Christ by the Virgin Mary - the authorship of the sculpture is attributed to Nicolas Legendre. At the same time, you can see here a very modern bronze "Christ the Insulted" Pierre de Gros.

Saint-Merry is a functioning church that plays the role of a pastoral center for the Beaubourg district. Concerts of sacred music every Saturday are given here by the Vocal Academy of Paris.

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Topic: Church of Saint-Merri (Eglise Saint-Merri) description and photos - France: Paris.