Saint-François Xavier Church

Paris, France

A 'seminary for foreign missions' had been set up on rue du Bac in 1637 by Monseigneur Duval, with an accord from pope Urban VIII, during the Counter Reformation. The seminary's oratory or chapel was built between 1683 and 1689, with interior decoration by Jacques Stella, Nicolas Poussin and Simon Vouet, and it was this chapel that operated secretly as a parish church for the area during the Revolutionary era when the area's actual parish church of Saint-Sulpice was shut down. In 1801 the chapel was attached to the church of Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin, which became the church for the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and the 'Missions étrangères' parish was officially recognised and split from the parish of Saint-Sulpice in 1802, at which time its curé was abbé Dessaubaz.

40 years later, in 1842, the parish was dedicated to St Francis Xavier. However, the chapel soon became too cramped for the seminarians and parishioners to share and the parishioners began construction on a new church in 1861 under abbé Jean-Louis Roquette (curé of the church from 1848 to 1889), headed by Adrien Lusson then Joseph Uchard and paid for by the Ville de Paris. The chosen site was in the corner of boulevard des Invalides and a planned boulevard right across the district towards rue des Saints-Pères that would meet the Seine level with pont du Carrousel. According to the principals of Haussmann's renovation of Paris, the new church would then form the end to this planned boulevard, explaining why its siting seems odd today, shifted over the boulevard and the hôtel des Invalides. Lusson began the works, but they were interrupted in 1863 and resumed under Uchard after Lusson's death. Work on the exterior was completed on 15 July 1874 and inaugurated at Easter 1875, at which point the interior decor was still incomplete. It was finally consecrated on 23 May 1894, the eve of Corpus Christi, in a ceremony presided over by François-Marie-Benjamin Richard, archbishop of Paris.

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Founded: 1637
Category: Religious sites in France

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en.wikipedia.org

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4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Alessandro Stefan (10 months ago)
Beautiful church. Paris is known for having the best looking buildings, especially when it comes to religious buildings like this one. Not only does it look impressive, but it's really well preserved. They really put a lot of love into the preservation of their heritage. That's something to be admired.
eva chan (19 months ago)
Beautiful beautiful church. I love a church decorated with more color. Worth a visit but it is newer and perhaps has less historical significance. It is on the way to the Napoleon Tomb.
Spoorthi G (22 months ago)
Definitely the inside is more beautiful than the outside! The intricate art on the walls are worth a visit if you're around the area, especially since there are several other places to visit around. It has central heating so could be a cost visit during the winters!
Idris Evans (2 years ago)
Beautiful church which we only stumbled across because it shares a name with our parish in Falkirk, Scotland and we were lucky enough to visit during adoration It turns out to be a shrine of St Madeleine Sophie Barat, whose remains are here (they were in Belgium until 2009, but moved back to her home). She was the founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart, so very appropriate we stopped here after visiting Sacré Coeur. In addition there are beautiful pictures depicting the missionary work and life of St Francis Xavier and also a chapel dedicated to the Infant Child of Prague. We'll worth a visit, especially as it's just across the road from the metro and close to other attractions such as The Miraculous Medal Shrine and Chapel of St Vincent de Paul.
Gryillia Bralie (2 years ago)
Beautiful peaceful delicate holy place to visit. Worth to stop by.
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