The Paris of old stones and dreams
The history of Paris can be read in its stones as well as in books... A monumental condensation of styles which will not leave the attentive stroller unmoved. Antiquity left a heritage of its public baths and arenas to the city. The Middle Ages remains present with the Romanesque bell-tower of Saint-German-des-Près, and the delicacy of the Sainte Chapelle affirms the miracle of Gothic. Paris is also the Classicism of the Grand Siècle, its domes and pediments, its dream of Antiquity already touched by the Renaissance. You will be charmed by the eclecticism of the Second Empire, the thrust of Haussmann’s boulevards, and the metal architecture celebrated by the Eiffel Tower, which spearheaded Art Nouveau. Art Deco did not lag far behind, and its modernity heralded the future concrete-and-glass emblems of a city in constant renewal.
Romanesque art
This is the reign of the semi-circular arch, robust walls and small openings. Begun in the 11th century, Saint-Germain-des-Près is the oldest church in the capital, and a good number of its stones recount marvels of Romanesque art. While few edifices of this period remain today in Paris, the traces still visible are worth the detour: admire, for example, the entirely Romanesque harmony of the east end of the former abbey of Saint-Martin-des-Champs (12th century), in the 3rd “arrondissement”.
