Churches and old buildings!

After I left the gardens, I walked among university buildings and college bookstores toward a couple of churches. The Latin Quarter is a wonderful place. It's the oldest part of the city, being the site of the Roman town of Lutetia. A lot of the medieval history of Paris is also represented in the street names and some of the buildings. On my way to the first church, I was pleased to spot another bit of the wall built at the command of Philip Augustus in the early 13th century.

The site of the current church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont has been a place of religious importance since at least the days of King Clovis in the 6th century. The current building is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements. The main reason I wanted to see it was its lovely open stonework choir screen and two stone spiral staircases. (The choir is the part of the church between the nave, where people sit or stand, and the sanctuary, where the altar is.) I had certainly never seen anything like it. Here you can see the screen, a bit of the staircase at the far end, and a better view of the staircase at the near end.

Here's a better view of the near staircase:

It was impressive as I'd hoped it would be, and this was one of the most beautiful of the churches I've visited.

After leaving the church, I walked up the Rue Saint-Jacques, which follows the route of the cardo, the main north-south road, of the old Roman city of Lutetia. (The street was named Saint-Jacques for its association with St. John (Santiago) of Compostela; the street was the beginning of the pilgrimage route to Compostela.) I was delighted to see an old observatory dome; I believe this building is part of the Sorbonne.

I can't imagine anyone does any observing from there any more, and I'd be surprised if there's even still a telescope in there, but it always does an astronomer's heart good to see a telescope dome.

The second church I visited was Saint-Séverin. I was not quite as taken with it as with Saint-Étienne, but it did have one unusual feature that I enjoyed seeing. Among the forest of pillars you see at the back of the church, one is twisted.

I haven't read anything about any special significance of this pillar, but it is quite a sight.

I'm going back to the Latin Quarter on Monday to see the Pantheon and the Cluny Museum. That should be a lot of fun.