These Most Beautiful Churches and Cathedrals in Paris

Even though France has been a secular country since 1905 when it codifed into law the separation of church and state, churches and cathedrals remain vital symbols of its cultural identity and landscape. Nowhere is this more apparent than Paris, home to one of the most famous cathedrals in the world.
Thanks to their rich histories and dramatic architecture and art, the city’s famous churches have inspired works of fiction, figured prominently in blockbuster films, and even hosted fashion shows. Let find out These Most Beautiful Churches and Cathedrals in Paris below.

These Most Beautiful Churches and Cathedrals in Paris

Sacre Coeur Basilica

This Montmartre landmark is a relative newcomer to the Paris church scene having been completed in 1914. Design for the Romano Byzantine style structure, which rises from the highest point in Paris, was inspired by churches such as Saint Sofia in Constantinople and San Marco in Venice. Don’t miss the grand pipe organ, built in 1898 by Aristide Cavaillé Coll and considered once of the most extraordinary in Paris and Europe.

Saint Eustache Church

Located in the heart of the city in the first arrondisement near Les Halles, this 17th century church is a charming and eclectic mishmash of architectural styles: It’s a Gothic structure dressed in Renaissance detail. The Chapel of the Virgin, which was built in 1640, features a sculpture of the Virgin and Child at the center of the apse surrounded by three large paintings by Thomas Couture.

The Madeleine Church

Inspired by Nimes’ Maison Carree, one of the best preserved Roman temples, this neo classical building has not always been a church. It was first commissioned by Napoleon as a memorial, a Temple to the Glory of the Great Army. After the fall of Napoleon, King Louis XVIII determined the structure would be used as a church, and it was consecretated in 1842.
The Madeleine Church is one of the earliest, large-scale neo-classical buildings to replicate the entire exterior of a Roman temple. Its 52 Corinthian columns, each of which stretches to 20 meters high, wrap around the entire building. The pediment sculpture depicts the last judgment.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis

Located in Saint Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, this medieval cathedral is the final resting place for nearly every French king and queen from the 7th century through the 19th century.
Construction of the Gothic church, which stands on the site of the grave of Saint Denis, a bishop of Paris who died in 250 AD, began in the 12th century and was completed in the 13th century. With over 70 recumbent statues and monumental tombs, the cathedral contains the largest collection of funerary sculpture from the 12th to the 16th centuries in Europe.

Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris

Having soared over Paris for more than 150 years, the 19th-century spire of this Ile de la Cite cathedral was destroyed during an April 2019 fire. Begun in the 12th century, Notre Dame was the center of medieval Parisian life. Although the cathedral suffered damage followed by neglect during and after the French Revolution, interest in its preservation was revived following the publication of Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831. Today, it’s arguably the most famous cathedral in Paris, if not the world. Visitors flock to see its rose window and flying buttresses. Plans for its reconstruction are underway.

Church of Saint Sulpice

Construction of this Latin Quarter church, one of the largest in Paris, began in 1646. With rococo details like the double colonnade with loggias, it’s a true masterpiece in French classical style.
Saint Sulpice has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris after figuring prominently in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Don’t miss the murals painted by Eugene Delacroix between 1855 to 1861 in the Chapel of the Holy Angels.

Saint Paul Saint Louis Church

Designed by Jesuit architects Etienne Martellange and Francois Derand, this 17th century church features influences both from French Gothic architecture such as the traditional cruciform plan and the verticality of its facade and Italian Baroque architecture like its curved form details and Corinthian columns on its facade.
The Marais district building likely inspired the church in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables where Cosette marries Marius Pontmercy. Hugo lived nearby in the Place des Vosges from 1832 to 1848, during which he wrote the novel it was published in 1845. His daughter Leopoldine was married at Saint Paul Saint Louis in 1843.