Page 119 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

BEA UBOURG AND LES HALLES  117

12th century, of which only the
foundations of the bell tower
remain. The splendid rose
stained-glass windows date
from the Renaissance period.
After the Valois Court
decamped to the Louvre from
the Ile de la Cité in the 14th
century, this became the
favoured church of kings.
The church’s many historical
associations include the horrific
St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
on 24 August 1572, the eve of
the royal wedding of Henri of
Navarre and Marguerite de Valois.
Thousands of Huguenots who
had been lured to Paris for the
wedding were murdered as the
Entrance to the Bourse du Commerce, church bell tolled. Later, after the
the old corn exchange Revolution, the church was used The Tour St-Jacques, with its
as a barn and as a police station. ornate decoration
e Bourse du Despite many restorations, it is a
Commerce jewel of Gothic architecture. y Tour St-Jacques
2 Rue de Viarmes 75001. Map 12 F2. Square de la Tour St-Jacques, corner of
Tel 08 20 01 21 12 or 01 42 33 06 67. t La Samaritaine Rue de Rivoli and Sebastopol 75004.
q Les Halles. W Châtelet-Les-Halles. Map 13 A3. q Châtelet or Hôtel
Open 8:30am–6:30pm Mon–Fri (ID 83 Rue de Rivoli 75001. Map 12 F2. de Ville. Open Gardens: year-round.
required). 8 groups of up to 10 q Pont-Neuf. Tel 01 56 81 28 40. Tower: early Jul–early Sep: 10am–5pm
people by appt. 7 ∑ sgbcp.fr Closed to the public. Fri–Sun, visits by appt, call 01 83 96
∑ projet.samaritaine.com 15 05. 8 Gardens: Fri–Sun.
Compared dismissively by Victor
Hugo to a jockey’s cap without This former department store This imposing late Gothic tower,
a peak, the old grain exchange was founded in 1900 by Ernest dating from 1523, is all that
building was France’s first iron Cognacq. Built in 1926 with a remains of an ancient church
structure. It was con structed in framework of iron and wide that was a rendezvous for
the 18th century and remodelled expanses of glass, La Samaritaine pilgrims setting out on long
in 1889. Today, its huge, domed is an outstanding example of the journeys. The church was
hall is filled with the hustle and Art Deco style. Cognacq was destroyed after the Revolution.
bustle of the Chambre de also a collector of 18th-century Earlier, Blaise Pascal, the
Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris. art, and his collection is now on 17th-century mathematician,
It is still worth entering to marvel display in the Musée Cognacq- physicist, philosopher and
at the architecture, in particular Jay in the Marais quarter (see p98). writer, used the tower for
the beautifully restored cupola The building is being experiments. Queen Victoria
and its decor. Also worth a look redeveloped to create housing, passed by on her state visit in
are the murals depicting French a hotel and shopping complex 1854, giving her name to the
trade and industry through the due for completion in 2018. nearby Avenue Victoria.
ages, which were painted in 1889
and have since been restored.
r St-Germain
l’Auxerrois
2 Pl du Louvre 75001. Map 12 F2. Tel
01 42 60 13 96. q Louvre, Pont-Neuf.
Open 9am–7pm Tue–Sat, 9:30am–
8:30pm Sun (Jul & Aug: 9:30am–7pm
Tue–Sun). 5 various times. Concerts.
∑ saintgermainauxerrois.cef.fr
This church has been built in a
combination of Renaissance and
Gothic styles. The first church on
the site was constructed in the The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (c.1572–84) by François Dubois

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