Saint-Paul Saint-Louis Church

While strolling through the Marais, one cannot miss the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis church! Its construction was commissioned by Louis XIII. The King actually laid down the first stone himself in 1624 and Cardinal Richelieu, his prime minister, presided the very first mass.

During my Kings and Queens in the Marais tour, we stop at this magnificent church and I discuss some of its history. Here is one of my favorite anecdotes: as you walk in and cross the neve, look to your right.

On one of the pillars, you will see a graffitti which reads: "République Française ou la mort"... This was written in 1830 in the midst of the second French Revolution. You can see the stone has been scrubbed so hard the colour is whiter than the rest of the pillar. Yet, the inscription was never fully erased... "French Republic or death"!