Churches in Paris: Église Saint-Séverin

The Church of Saint Severin (Église Saint-Séverin) is a very old parish church in Latin Quarter.

Église Saint-Séverin

The church is dedicated to Saint Severin, a religious hermit from the 500's.  He lived in the area and was buried where the church is located.  A small church was built over his tomb, then a larger church was built in the 11th century and, as the population of students at the nearby university grew, an even larger church was built in the early 1200's.  Over the next few centuries, the church was expanded again and again.  It is one of the oldest surviving churches on the Left Bank.    

Église Saint-Séverin:  The bell tower dates from the 13th century and
is home to the oldest bell in Paris, the Macée, cast in 1412.

We visited Saint-Séverin many years ago to attend a performance of Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  When we attended, the season was winter.  It was very cold in the unheated church.  The musicians wore coats and gloves and we nearly froze.  Still, it was a memorable performance in a lovely setting.  

We recently returned to Église Saint-Séverin for a look inside.  The interior is largely Gothic in style.  

One of the church's most noteworthy features are the ancient and modern stained-glass windows.  Some of the earlier windows date from the 15th century, while the modern windows were installed in 1970.  The modern windows represent Roman Catholic sacraments.  

Thanks for visiting Église Saint-Séverin with us.  

P.S.  Two French painters, Maurice Utrillo and Robert Delaunay, have painted scenes of Église Saint-Séverin.  You can see them by clicking here and here.