A Walking Tour Paris

Leave the Vavin metro station and follow Boulevard de Montparnasse, which turns into Boulevard de Port Royal and then turn left onto rue St-Jacques. This will be a rather long walk, as there are no metro stations particularly close to the start of this walk. Val-de-Grâce will be on your right. This is regarded as one of the most beautiful churches in Paris. It was built for Anne of Austria (wife of Louis XIII) in thanks to the Blessed Virgin for having given birth to a son after 23 years of childless marriage. The son went on to become King Louis XIV, the Sun King. The seven-year-old Louis is said to have laid the church’s foundation stone in 1645.

Designed by François Mansart and Jacques Lemercier, Val-de-Grâce is a magnificent example of Baroque architecture. Completed in 1667, the church’s beautiful lead-and-gilt dome is 41 metres (135 feet) high and 19 metres (62 feet) in diameter. The interior of the dome is painted with over 200 triple-life-size figures by Pierre Mignard. The six twisting marble columns that frame the high altar are modelled on Bernini’s in St Peter’s in Rome. 26 members of the French royal family are buried here, including both the Bourbon and the Orléans branches. Unlike many churches in the city, this one survived the Revolution intact, mainly because of the Benedictine nuns who were providing medical care to injured revolutionaries. This tradition of care is continued here today, as the church is part of a military hospital complex.