Saint Étienne du Mont is one of the most beautiful churches in Paris, and resting place of St Genevieve, one of the patron saints of the city.
In this guide to St Étienne du Mont church I’ll point you in the direction of some of the wonderful architecture and features to admire, as well as looking back through its long, eventful history.
I also cover the basics including its location, how to get there and other things to see nearby.
Where To Stay Near Saint Étienne du Mont
Hotel des Grands Hommes – lovely 18th-century building a few steps from the Panthéon and St Étienne du Mont
Hotel Les Dames du Panthéon – 4-star with wonderful French decor in another beautiful 18th-century building across the street from the Panthéon
Hotel des Grandes Ecoles – country house in a leafy side street down the hill from the Panthéon and Saint-Étienne du Mont
Why Visit Saint Étienne du Mont?
Saint Étienne du Mont is one of the most amazing churches in Paris architecturally, and one of the six best churches in the city to visit.
It is best known as the resting place of St Genevieve, a patron saint of Paris who, according to tradition, helped save Paris from attack by Attila and his Hun army in 451 AD.
The interior is one of the most striking in Paris, with a unique jubé, or loft, with twin spiral staircases and Renaissance-style gateways dominating the view.
The west front of Saint Étienne du Mont is also spectacular, a mixture of Renaissance and Gothic styles that would have been perfect as a Harry Potter film location.
The northern steps of the church are a well-known Paris film location, from a scene in the Woody Allen movie Midnight in Paris.
Saint Étienne du Mont Church History
The area around the summit of Montaigne Sainte- Geneviève has been the site of churches since the 6th century. King Clovis founded the church of SS Peter and Paul and the Abbey of St Genevieve there, and he was eventually buried there, along with his Queen Clotilde and St Genevieve.
St Genevieve was a patron saint of Paris who, according to tradition, helped save Paris from attack by Attila and his Hun army, who went on to besiege Orléans on the river Loire to the south-west of Paris.
The church became a popular pilgrimage site, but eventually proved too small to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1222 a church was begun on the site immediately adjacent to the Abbey of St Genevieve – the site of the present church of St Étienne du Mont.
Étienne is the French for Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and ‘du Mont’ means ‘of the hill’.
Little remains of this Gothic church. It was rebuilt between around 1492 and 1626, in a unique mixture of Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance styles.
The Abbey church next door was replaced after 1744 by a larger church now known as the Panthéon.
Most of the relics of St Genevieve were destroyed in 1793, in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Some fragmentary remains were preserved, and these are still venerated in the church, where you’ll see her tomb and a chapel dedicated to her.
Walks And Tours Around Saint Étienne du Mont
Paris Old Town and Latin Quarter Walking Tour – a great introduction to the Rive Gauche, passing Saint Etienne du Mont along the way
Paris Museum Pass – valid for the Panthéon, Cluny Museum and many more places, a great investment saving you a lot of money when visiting Paris
Panthéon Admission Ticket – entry to the burial place of many great French writers and public figures
Classical Music Concert in St Julien le Pauvre – summer concerts in one of the oldest, most intimate and most beautiful churches in Paris
Things To See In Saint Étienne du Mont Church Paris
Stop to look at the west front of the church – where the main entrance is located – before entering. It’s a remarkable sight, an almost haphazard hotch-potch of different including a Gothic rose window and a Renaissance doorway below.
The latter is similar to a Palladian portico, influenced by Classical Greek and Roman architecture, and the whole front of the church seems quite narrow, a result of the limited space available for the church. It’s quite an ensemble and I’ve always thought it has immense character and love it.
The interior of Saint Étienne du Mont is just as impressive, and again, it’s hard to think of anywhere quite like it. The inside of the church is bright and airy, flooded with light from the three galleries of large windows on either side of the church.
The most noticeable feature is the magnificent jubé, or rood loft, which separates the nave of the church from the chancel. It fulfils the same function as wooden rood screens in medieval churches elsewhere in Europe, but this is very different in appearance.
It’s a stone bridge across the chancel, flanked by two spiral staircases and ornate Renaissance-era portals. The filigree stonework is incredibly intricate and detailed, and the portals are adorned with fine statuary, as shown above.
It’s also worth looking at the variety of architectural styles around the church. The Neoclassical arches and arcades of the nave date from the late 16th or early 17th century, and support a beautiful, elaborate late Flamboyant Gothic ceiling vault.
Further inside the church, you may well notice the narrow Gothic-style arches behind the high altar, which were built around 50 years before the nave.
Many people visit Saint Étienne du Mont to see the shrine of Sainte Genevieve. It’s located on the south side of the church (on the right as you enter), and you’ll find her reliquary and a Chapel dedicated to her a few metres away.
Memorials In St Étienne Du Mont Church
Apart from the reliquary of St Genevieve, several notable French figures are interred in Saint Étienne du Mont. These include playwright Jean Racine (memorial pictured above) and mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal.
Saint Étienne du Mont and Midnight in Paris
Saint Étienne du Mont plays a fleeting but important role in Woody Allen’s 2011 movie Midnight in Paris. The main character, Gil, goes off on a nightly trip back in time to the 1920s, where he encounters the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali, F Scott Fitzgerald and Cole Porter. These adventures begin when a car pulls up next to him as the sits on the north steps of St Étienne du Mont church.
Where Is St. Étienne Du Mont?
Saint Étienne du Mont is at the summit of Montaigne Sainte-Geneviève, in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank in Paris. It is only 100 metres from another of the most famous churches in Paris, the Panthéon.
How To Get To Saint Étienne Du Mont Paris
The nearest Paris Metro stop to Saint Étienne du Mont is Cardinal Lemoine, on line 10. The station is around 250 metres’ walk from the church entrance on Place Sainte Geneviève.
The church is also around 300 metres from the Luxembourg stop on RER line B.
Otherwise, Jussieu and Place Monge on line 7 are a 5-10 minute walk away.
Things To See Near Saint Étienne Du Mont
The Panthéon is the most obvious place to visit near Saint Étienne du Mont. This monumental church was intended to house the relics of St Genevieve, but it was decided to use it as the burial place of great French people.
Writers Voltaire and Rousseau are two of the earliest figures to be interred, and many more writers, scientists, politicians, war heroes and more have subsequently been buried there.
While visiting, be sure to climb the dome, which offers a superb view over Saint Étienne du Mont and also commands one of the best Eiffel Tower views in Paris.
It’s only a 5-minute walk down Rue Soufflot to the Jardin du Luxembourg, a gorgeous park laid out around the Palais du Luxembourg, which is home to the French Senate.
It’s one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris, with attractions ranging from the wooden sail boats in the central pond to the ornate Medici fountain and one of the oldest carousels in Paris for the kids to enjoy.
You can walk down the Boulevard Saint-Michel to the Sorbonne, the heart of the University of Paris, or further down until the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages.
Alternatively, if you wish to see more Parisian churches, you could head towards Saint-Sulpice and Saint Germain des Prés in one direction, or Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet, St Julien le Pauvre and Saint Severin towards the river Seine and Notre Dame.
Saint Étienne du Mont Church Paris – Final Thoughts
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this article, and that you get to visit this magnificent church some day.
I’ve written many more articles on Paris, and I’ve listed a selection of them below for you to browse:
Churches In Paris
22 Famous Churches in Paris – 22 ecclesiastical wonders
La Sainte Chapelle Paris – one of the wonders of the Gothic Age
Basilica of St Denis Paris – the birthplace of Gothic architecture
Saint Germain des Pres – landmark ancient Left Bank church
Saint Etienne du Mont – stunning Latin Quarter church
Saint Sulpice Church Paris – vast Neoclassical church dominating the Latin Quarter skyline
Pantheon Paris – the resting place of many famous French luminaries
Saint-Séverin Church Paris – Left Bank Gothic wonder
St Julien Le Pauvre – humble ancient church within sight of Notre Dame
Montmartre
Abbesses Metro Station Paris – one of the most beautiful Metro stations in Paris
Rue de l’Abreuvoir – one of the most picturesque streets in Paris
Rue St Rustique Paris – ancient Parisian street in the heart of Montmartre
Sacré Coeur Basilica Paris – the white-domed symbol of Montmartre
General Paris Articles
Best Eiffel Tower Views – over 20 superb vantage points of the most famous landmark in Paris
Sunset in Paris – the best 15 places to see one
Visiting the Arc de Triomphe Paris – all you need to know before you visit one of the great monuments of Paris
Paris Carousels – the best merry-go-rounds in Paris
Statue of Liberty in Paris – seek out the replicas of Lady Liberty across the French capital
Bridges in Paris
Famous Paris Bridges – 15 of the most beautiful bridges on the Seine
Pont Alexandre III Paris – the most flamboyant, ornate bridge in Paris
Bir-Hakeim Bridge Paris – stunning double-decker bridge near the Eiffel Tower
Pont des Arts Paris – elegant iron bridge connecting the Louvre and Institut de France
Pont Neuf Paris – the venerable oldest bridge in Paris, and sometime art installation subject
Parks in Paris
Square du Vert Galant Paris – the most romantic garden in Paris
Jardin du Luxembourg – one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris
Tuileries Garden Paris – amazing garden near the Louvre
Parc Monceau Paris – gorgeous folly-filled park near the Arc de Triomphe