Paroisse Saint-Eugene – Sainte-Cecile

saint eugene church

Paroisse Saint-Eugene – Sainte-Cecile

Despite its double banger name, this neo-gothic Catholic church with its modest exterior, tucked away in the 9th arrondissement is generally referred to by its original name; the Church of Saint-Eugene and it would have to be one of the prettiest and most colourful that I have encountered in Paris.

 

As if on cue, the daintiest bells began to chime marking my arrival to visit this heritage listed church. It is worth timing your visit to hear them too!

 

TAKING ONLY 20 MONTHS to build from when the first stone was blessed and laid on June of 1854.  Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie attended the inauguration two days after Christmas on 27th December 1855.

sainteugenechurch

 

At the time that Saint Eugene Church was built, it was on the outskirts of Paris and with a burgeoning need to quickly provide the local parishioners with a church, a radical and unique approach was adopted and that was to build the entire structure from metal. It would be the first of its kind in France.

Despite an outcry from the traditionalists, the church was built quickly and inexpensively because of this method, leaving only the walls to be built of stone.

You won’t find hoards of tourists lining up to take photos and disturb the serenity here.

Instead what you will discover inside this peaceful church is brightly coloured metal columns and two storeys of sumptuous stained glass windows and the very friendly priest, who if you are lucky will give you a short guided tour, encouraging you to lightly tap on the columns to prove that they are in fact metal.

sainteugenechurch
sainteugenechurch

If you are a fan of the novelist Jules Verne you might be interested to know that two years after the church was inaugurated he married his wife Honorine de Viane here in 1895.

saint-eugene-church
saint eugene paris
joan of arc

What is in a name?

The church had a rocky start and by 1859 found itself in financial difficulty, whereby the city of Paris purchased it.

Due to its proximity to the nearby Conservatory of Music the pope granted a second term, that being  Saint Cecilia patron saint of musicians and hence the double banger name of The Parish of Saint-Eugene and Sainte-Cécile.

mosaicfloortiles

What ever you decide to call Paroisse Saint-Euguene – Sainte-Cécile, it will more than likely be that very pretty and colourful church off the beaten path in Paris with the lovely mosaic floor tiles.

If you are interested in attending Sunday Mass, you are in for a special treat, see below for more details.

If you have found this information interesting or useful, please leave a comment or follow me on facebook for daily tips, photos and anecdotes, your feedback encourages me to keep this site up to date. Merci!

 

Paris Adèle’s Information Necessaire:

paroissesainteugene

Paroisse Saint-Eugene – Sainte-Cécile – Official Website
4 rue du Conservatoire 75009 Paris – MAP

Nearest Metro:
Grands Boulevards or Cadet

Sunday Mass:
11am in Latin
5:30 pm Choir Gregorian Chants
6:30 pm Traditional  Latin Mass and Gregorian Chants Organ  (St. Pius V, Latin)
(see website above for more detailed information)

 

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2 Responses to Paroisse Saint-Eugene – Sainte-Cecile

  • Maureen Pretty

    Not sure whether it’s my old eyes or not but some of these photos are not as clear as on face book? I just love my daily dose of Paris, thank you Adele!

    • parisadele

      thank you Maureen, I don’t think it is your eyes, I have been making the images smaller to make loading of the site quicker, so perhaps I am losing some quality.

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