You must login to leave comments...
The Church of St.Germain des Pres
Once the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and now the Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, this is the oldest church in Paris. Built in the 6th century by Childebert I of Spain, it resides in the most charming neighborhood in Paris (on the Left Bank), the neighborhood of Saint Germain des Prés. Step inside and find the last of the three remaining bell towers; the tomb of the King of Poland, John Casimir II, the last Polish monarch from the House of Vasa, who died in 1672; the tomb of St Germanus, the "Father of the Poor" in the Saint Symphorian's Chapel; thetomb of philosopher René Descartes; and the Memorial of James Douglas, a Scottish nobleman and a page of King Louis VIII, in the Chapelle de Sainte-Thérèse.
Once outside, explore the neighborhood and find endless boutiques, charming hotels, lively bistros, savory restaurants and waiters in traditional uniforms serving people grande crèmes while they read newspapers at the small outside cafés.
This is the area of Paris that the artists and intellectuals have always claimed (Jean Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso, Simone de Beauvoir, Ernest Hemingway, to name a few), the area that Parisians themselves say is the absolute spirit of the real Paris. Wind your way from Boulevard Saint Germain des Prés north towards the Seine and get lost inside the unpronounceable yet charming, petite streets — rue Guénégaud, rue l'Hirondelle, rue Hautefeuille — and take pleasure in small and magical discoveries. As a cold weather bonus, stop for a delicious (visual and palate-wise) time at one of the many cafés that serve chocolat chaud at outside tables under heat lamps.
Paris, France, 75006; métro: Saint Germain des Prés.
Stories about The Church of St.Germain des Pres
-
Two Cafés near Saint Germain des Prés
By Sandy HowellTwo cafés near Saint Germain des Prés, the Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, have a rich literary history. But as Sandy Howell reports, they’re more than that. Today, they’re bustling neighborhood cafés where you can start and end your days, or even spend the entire day there, just watching people. When you leave, take with you some teacups (paid for, of course!) plus music that will forever remind you of these incomparable institutions. Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 ) -
Glory Years: Picasso
By Arnie GreenbergWhen I paint, my object is to show what I find, not what I'm looking for." The painter had created the first major Cubist painting. While Les Demoiselles was a monumental achievement, very few were ready to accept it. One said, "What a loss for French Art." Another said, "It's as though you wanted us to eat rope and drink gasoline." Another shook his head: "One day they will find Picasso hanged behind that picture." Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 ) -
Stop to Shop: Around and About l'Eglise de la Madeleine
By BP EditorShopping in the vicinity of the Church de la Madeleine, easily accessible from the Métro Madeleine, RER and buses, need not consist only of those drool-inducing gourmet food shops HEDIARD and FAUCHON. There's also Territoire, but a few steps from Rosemary's lilac bud bins. Though its window display will make you tarry awhile, you'll surely want to go inside and explore the artisanale toys, originale garden items, medieval costumes and large replica sailboats. And there are so many more shops, if you just click to read! Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 November 2005 ) -
Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre
By Riana Lagarde
Riana Lagarde interviews Hazel Rowley, author of Tête-à-Tête: The Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre (Chatto & Windus, London, 2006)
The only things missing are the old French Franc “timbres” and brown faded envelopes as I hungrily read the clandestine letters between Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre and others compiled in Hazel Rowley’s dual biography Tête à Tête: The Lives and Loves Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. This is the ultimate interloping read of their true heartfelt feelings, their awful deceits and emotional anguishes. Rowley puts you the reader not only in the same Parisian café, but seated at their table, privy to all their conversations: from gossiping about their latest plat du jour (they had a “pact” to stay together and to tell each other everything), to politics of the times—they were politically engaged anti-bourgeois. You can almost hear the accordion music in the background, smell the thick tobacco smoke, hear the clink of coffee cups as you sit in an old wooden café chair while the bustling Parisian traffic passes through the windows of time. Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )
