Saint Augustin, Paris

St. Augustin is a lovely and unique church that tends to get overlooked by tourists in Paris. This is one of the many reasons you should visit this wonderful building... no crowds!

Emperor Napoleon III ordered the construction of St. Augustin in the the late 1800s. Its architect, Victor Baltard was known for constructing buildings from iron (most notably Les Halles) and he decided to continue that trend with St. Augustin. The entire framework is built of iron and covered with stone. You can see the iron braces in the church's ceiling.

St. Augustin is nearly 100 meters high and the dome rises 84 meters above the ground level. Inside, the church has a number of small sanctuaries devoted to various saints (there's a nice tribute to St. Anthony and St. Theresa). Many of these sanctuaries display drawings from local schoolchildren, which is a nice touch I didn't see in other churches in Paris.

The church is dedicated to St. Augustin, who was born in Algeria and later baptized in Milan, Italy. He was devoted to preaching the message of St. Ambrose: God only can be the response to the search for truth.

St Augstin is located at:
46, bd. Malesherbes
75008 Paris

Take the Metro to the Saint-Augustin stop.

Saint Augustin church is definitely off the beaten path-- no lines to get in, like Notre Dame. Built from 1860 to 1871, this church made use of structural iron to reach new heights. The architect, Victor Baltard, was responsible for the now-vanished Les Halles. Saint Augustin's dome is 50 meters high. If you visit the church, note the way the iron structure was incorporated into the design-- iron columns, iron angels.

This place is a bit worse for the wear; there is now a net across the inside of the dome to catch falling pieces of the structure. Parts of the exterior stone fa?ade are wasting away. There are pieces of stained glass missing here and there. I hope someone will recognize the treasure this is and start a restoration project.

I really like this church; it captures the industrial spirit of the age, and offers a quiet escape from the bustle of Paris.

46, bd. Malesherbes
75008 Paris
Metro Saint-Augustin (line 9)?not too far from the Grands Magasins on Blvd. Haussmann.
Open from 7h00 to 19h30 every day

There are several statues of this French legend around Paris. This one is outside the church St. Augustin in the 8eme (see description above in the "Iron Age Church" tip), not far from the big department stores on Blvd. Haussmann.

The sky was a remarkable color this day; the picture was taken at noon. As you visit Paris, appreciate the sky, the clouds, the light... all the buildings and monuments interact with the sky and light in an ever-changing display.