A Walking Tour Paris

Retrace your steps along rue de Grenelle and follow it until you come to rue de Martignac. Sainte-Clotilde will be ahead of you on your right. This imposing Gothic style basilica was designed by German-born architect François-Christian Gau and was the first building to be built in this style in the city since the Middle Ages. Named after the second wife of the Frankish King Clovis, who lived from 475 to 545, the church was first planned by the Paris City Council in 1827, but it was 1846 before construction began. Gau died in 1853 and the work was continued by Theodore Ballu. It opened in 1857 and was declared a basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1896. The imposing twin steeples can be seen from across the Seine, while the church’s interior contains stations of the cross sculpted by James Pradier and some rich stained-glass windows depicting scenes from the life of Sainte Clotilde. The well-known composer César Franck was church organist here for more than 30 years from 1859.